Investigasians: The Musical Massacre
by The Xs and the Os
Summary: Meet Yao Wang. He's a low rated detective, purely in it for a money, and he's not afraid to admit it. However, even Detective Wang is surprised when the famous Young Master, a.k.a. Roderich Edelstein, approaches him to give him a case. Will Detective Wang and the Investigasians find the missing note for the piece, or will the violin strings remain cut and the scene unfinished?
1. Prologue

**A/N:** _Hi, everybody. Firstly, I'd like to welcome you to this new Fic I'm writing. Secondly, if you've read my other stuff, welcome back! I love seeing all faces old and new! And thirdly, although this mainly applies to the 'secondly', this Fic is very different, once again, to the previous ones, just purely because of the tone and atmosphere. Also, I usually aim to write 2,000 words per chapter, but this one aims for 3,000 words instead._

 _I'd also like to add that **this concept is mine as far as I'm concerned**! The **characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya** , but I don't think China and his friends get the attention they deserve, so naturally, I had to make them the main characters! The love the Asian Nations, and I sincerely apologise if, when making puns, someone finds that offensive. I want to assure you that I love all the countries in Hetalia, and that the Asian Nations are actually some of my favourites!_

 _I'll also be using the Nations' Human names, as this is a Human AU. If there is confusion about names, I usually put them at the bottom for the first few chapters for reoccurring characters._

 _I'm really excited about writing this Fic! I got the idea in my mind and just new it had to be! So, without further ado-_

 _Oh, hang on. I want to say sorry for not posting this sooner! I've been at parties on Friday and Saturday, and I was just too tired on Sunday to do anything, only to have people round on Monday. I've started study leave now, you see, so the past four days have all been about celebrations! From now on, though, I have all the time in the world alongside my revision to post these chapters!_

 _So **without further ado**_ , _enjoy **Investigasians: The Musical Massacre**!_

* * *

 **Prologue**

* * *

It was night, the city alight with banners and beacons that shone all kinds of vibrant colours. They all stood stories high, towering over all humans, making them appear as ants would. Their glassy windows either reflected neon colours, or remained pitch black and expressionless. They appeared as rows and rows of vacant eyes that saw nothing, and revealed nothing. In those areas where the city lights didn't reach out to, it was known that danger of all kinds lurked for the average, well-meaning citizen. The dismal skyscrapers blotted out any light that could potentially extend loving fingers into the darkened alleyways, a saviour that was prevented by a mere wall. Many times had people been victims to whatever lurked in the darkness and people who had succumbed to it. The city was proud and believed its big street lights and banners and beacons provided the pathway for everybody. Instead, the stars were eradicated and the moon blurred. The concrete maze had stood for many years and threat of its collapse was unheard of. It was a city of the new generation, and that was exactly why dangerous people were hidden from innocents by the shadows. A natural divide had somehow been set in place, and that divide was the only thing from preventing the dark consuming the light. It was a well-known fact that light created shadows. There was always a bad side to everything. Light was easier to get rid of than darkness; the bad were more likely to prevail. Therefore, the divide was needed.

However, there was no divide between Mother Nature and the city. Up on the rooftops was a hazardous place. Wind gusted around in a fury that couldn't be stopped. It was violent and threatened to push the sturdiest man from the top of the skyscrapers. One misjudged footstep, and that was the end of a life. It was even more difficult to concentrate on where one's feet were when you were running in pursuit of someone. Detective Wang was usually fond of safety, so a lethal drop from a seventy floor building certainly wasn't something he'd ever been enthralled about. However, _profit_ was something he liked very much. To see the Target suddenly veer to the side and take the staircase running had been one thing, to actually find himself chasing afterwards was another. Money made even the weariest of men daring, he liked to think. Usually, he would get Yong Soo to do the dangerous work, but he'd sent his sidekick off to guard the outside entrance the Target had been expected to take, so he had to cut that one out of the equation. He hadn't worked alone in quite some time, so this new thrill in his gut was probably caused by that.

In horror, Detective Wang watched the Target launch himself from the building, only to land on its neighbour's head. The man he was chasing was a heavyset, burly man – Yao wasn't sure he could make the jump, even if these buildings were set close together. He was a dark area of the city, where there was almost no light, and the concrete blocks squatted together in dirty abandonment. These weren't the flash, glassy skyscrapers that were shown to the tourists. People lived in these. However, there was also that impressive sum that had been laid on offer. Just as he reached the edge of the building, Yao suddenly found himself gliding through the air. The wind was in his eyes and whipping his hair back, and the moon above was the only witness to his daring behaviour. His stomach did a flip and he only relaxed his tensed muscles the second his feet hit the floor. Never would he do that again. Until the next building came along. Money was a powerful thing.

A crowbar caught him in the temple and he staggered off kilter. Rather than get shoved off the side of the building, Yao dropped to his knees and rolled across the ground, away from the edge. His vision was a little blurred, and there was a deathly pain in his head, but he still managed to catch the crowbar when the Target swung it down towards his chest. A sharp agony shot through his wrists, but Yao hauled himself to his feet using his opponent's weapon. With a single tug, the Target wrenched the crowbar free of Yao's hands and made for an instant attack. With a sharp intake of breath, Yao leapt backwards, his heart racing. He reached for the gun stored safely in his pockets and pulled it out in front of the Target – who preceded to run at him like a bull. The air let out a hollow hoot as the crowbar sliced through it and sent Yao's gun skittering across the ground. Next, was a boot given to the stomach.

Yao hit the ground hard with groan and squinted through his blurry eyes just as the Target took a step back. He couldn't let it end like this. The promised sum of money had been such an impressive amount that it would be a waste for it to be ended by disappointment. Yao rolled onto his hands and knees. Despite his aching wrists, he leapt to his feet and watched the Target sprinting across the building. With newfound strength, he raced across the flat rooftop, snatching his gun up along the way and taking swift aim of the Target. Although it would be a greater inconvenience for this man to end up dead, Yao was prepared to take the risk of at least slowing him down. He was running, so his hands were shaking. Two bullets were launched from the gun's barrel, speeding towards their prey in red hot annihilation. Both missed. Yao cursed under his breath as the gun clicked in protest and hastily retrieved the spare bullets he kept in his coat pocket. He despised it when Yong Soo borrowed his gun for target practice without telling him and ran down all his ammo. The worst part was when he didn't replenish it.

With a swift reload, Yao raised his gun to the Target's back one more time.

"Stop!" he called out, the first attempt to reach out to whatever morals the Target could have.

His blood froze as, for the first time in that darkened night, the man he was chasing after turned slowly to face him. Yao felt his feet bring him to a stop and he held the gun, poised. He wanted this man alive, and they both knew it. The lights of the distant banners and beacons illuminated the face Yao had been after for months. And, after all that time, it wasn't even his face. A studded, metallic mask covered the man's head, the hood of his jacket drawn up to hide any hair that the mask couldn't cover. He had pulled his zip up to the chin, hiding any visible flesh and thick, padded gloves covered his hands. He wore trousers, not shorts, and had even gone to the effort to tuck the hems into shin-high combat boots. Yao had never expected what type of person he'd be after, but here he was, standing before him now. The Target. Because he had no name, that's what Yong Soo had opted for calling him, and it had stuck. That mask, almost black in colour, reflected barely any light. The eyes were hidden in black pits, and it was carved into a wide grimace. Although the wind was blowing quite violently, Yao could see the Target had even procured his hood in place by strapping the mask on top.

"Raise your hands," Yao ordered.

Whatever the Target was doing here tonight was beyond him. It was a miracle they'd found him, but Yao also felt they'd interrupted something he'd been about to do. He had wanted to quietly watch, but Yong Soo and his awkward, lanky proportions had managed to draw attention. After that, the Target had taken off running up the staircase. Yao couldn't even say where he got the crowbar from. Hands were raised. His heart was racing. This was the moment Yao had been waiting for. His impressive check was mere hours away.

The Target suddenly spread his arms out wide and leapt backwards off the building, elegantly flipping in mid-air. For a moment, Yao was speechless. He'd never believed the Target would commit suicide when faced with capture. As far as research on him had shown, he'd displayed no tendencies for it, and his methodical approach to life made it seem he would attempt every possibility before death. Had he perceived this as the time to kill his secrets with him?

Yao approached the edge of the building casually as he took his phone from his pocket. With a quick dial to Yong Soo, he put his gun away as he traipsed the walk, and stared out towards the bright city.

"What's up, Aniki?" his sidekick sounded concerned. "Where did the Target go?"

"He ran upstairs, that's where he went," Yao scowled. "And I was the one who went after him. You know what, Yong? I'm too old for this; it should be _you_ chasing after our enemies across rooftops, not _me_ , aru."

"Sorry," the younger man's tone suddenly became ashamed. "Where's the Target now?"

"He jumped off a building, so go round the alleyways to find his body," Yao instructed. "I'll join you in a moment."

"Sure thing," Yong Soo hung up just as Yao reached the edge of the building.

There was a sudden humming noise and the wind rapidly picked up. With a furrowed brow, Yao peered over the edge –

-and only jumped back in time to avoid being diced by a helicopter's rotary blades. In horrified silence, Yao watched the Target's metal face leer at him from the helicopter, the crowbar in his hand and under his arm some kind of duffel bag. Fumbling for his gun, Detective Wang failed to prevent the flying vehicle from gliding away into the night. He took aim, but knew he would miss. Lowering the gun, Yao watched the Target escape and vowed that that would be the last time that happened.

Whipping out his phone once more, he gave Yong Soo another call. "There's been a change of plan, aru."

"Aniki?"

"Just stay where you are," Yao started walking to the elevator at the top of this building. "I'll come find you. The Target escaped."

"What?" Yong Soo gasped from the end of the line. "He jumped off a building. How did he _escape_?"

"It seemed he wasn't alone tonight, aru," he scowled, stepping into the old lift and pressing the 'G' button. "There was a chopper waiting for him. I bet he was in contact with them throughout the entire chase, aru."

"Shame he got away," Yong Soo sighed. "So, what now? Any leads left to follow?"

"Well, he knows we're after him, now," Yao grumbled. "I think we'll have to be more tactful in our approach to getting info on him."

"Back to the drawing board, then?"

The elevator doors opened and Yao wandered out into a musty reception hall. An aged woman sat at the desk, filing through some kind of magazine with dirtied nails. She paid Yao no mind as he walked towards the exit doors.

"It'll have to be, aru," he pushed them open and the cool air was on his face once more.

"Aniki!" Yong Soo called from across the street. "What happened up there? Are you OK?"

"I need a break, if that's what you mean?" Yao disconnected their call and dropped his phone into his pocket as his teammate neared him.

"Aniki, you've taken a head wound," Yong Soo frowned.

Raising a hand to his temple, where the dull throb was, Yao's hand came away stained red. For a moment, he took a moment to comprehend what had happened. Memory of the crowbar making impact with his head was certainly something that came to mind. The adrenaline of the chase and the roof fight must've kept him going, because now that he'd slowed down, he felt lethargic and bleary.

"Shit, aru," he muttered. "OK, double change of plan. Rather than return to headquarters, I get myself patched up in the nearest hospital. This is A & E type crap…"

"Is that what your Arumeter is telling you to do?" Yong Soo asked. "Can I drive?"

"Well, _I_ obviously can't, can I?" he snapped. "Otherwise I'd pass out and we'd crash, aru. And it's not like we have anyone else here, right, aru? So, _yes_ , _you_ will be driving."

Effortlessly, he chucked his car keys towards his sidekick. It was amusing to watch him fumble with them clumsily, and almost drop them on the floor. He would've had the young man lick them clean for all the germs that were on this grimy pavement. Their footsteps rang through the empty, dark streets. This was an area where tourists and other late night shoppers most certainly wouldn't be attracted to. Their mission had remained quiet and kept under the rug efficiently. Yao believed that if the general public were aware of a person like the Target being out there, the media would have something to say about it. That would be one problem after the other, and then his monetary reward would go down the drain as his commission was cancelled.

The car was where they'd left it: in an old parking lot alongside a mysterious white van that looked like it had received a recent clean, an old, beat up Toyota and a motorbike that was held firmly in place by a rusted chain. It looked like it hadn't seen human contact in several years. With a bounce in his step, Yong Soo unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat. Yao joined him in the passenger one, slamming the door behind them. The Old Honda Civic was a worn down little thing, but it served its purpose well. Yao allowed himself to doze off whilst Yong Soo took charge for once.

* * *

"I was lucky not to have concussion," Yao explained. "I've had some minor stitching, and that's the main reason I had to stay the night. The hit was a lot harder than I actually thought it was."

"Aniki was _super cool_ ," Yong Soo raved. "He was leaping from buildings like a flying squirrel and he almost had the guy under his-"

"Honestly, Yong Soo, it was nothing like that, aru," Yao rolled his eyes. "Sure, we leapt across rooftops, but they're actually closer together than you'd imagine. And he got away with considerable distance between the two of us. I was duped, which I really hate…"

"Which leads to question what we do now?" Lei Siu murmured, tapping the report down onto his laptop.

Yao spooned up a large amount of ramen and slurped it up, savouring the taste that he'd been craving since the bland hospital food. "I dunno."

"That's great," Lei scowled. "As soon as we almost get somewhere, we lose all trace and have to start again. I know the pay check for this is huge, but are we ever gonna get it?"

"Of course we are, aru," Yao said. "Even if it means I die trying. Us Investigasians won't go down without a fight."

"Neither will your terrible puns," Lei shook his head, and went back to monitoring the screen.

"Might I ask what this… target of yours is even like?" Kiku hesitantly raised his hand, bringing the room's attention to him. "If you saw him, you have an identity to work on."

"He wore a mask," the humble ramen worker's suggestions were always valid, but Yao knew basing the Target from appearance wasn't going to work. "I didn't see any inch of skin or hair. Nothing. I'd say he was around six foot. Either way, he was a big guy, aru."

"I see," Kiku wiped clean another bowl and set it down on the rack to dry.

The five of them were huddled before the bar of the ramen shop Yao's detective agency was located above. He was still paying rent after many years of staying there with his childhood friend, Kiku. The ramen shop was their hideout, their base and where their operations worked in the rooms above. Kiku's parents had grown frustrated with Yao scrounging off them after some years, so a rent had been enforced. Although he wasn't directly involved with Yao and his team's work, Kiku had always been there to provide sanctuary and good advice.

"Perhaps you could describe as much of him as you can?" Kiku asked, setting a piece of paper on the bar. "If I draw out what you say he looked like, then you place some theories around and search for the mask rather than the man?"

"I guess so," Yao wasn't sure about this plan. "Well… the mask was oval, so fit to match his face, aru. It had a grimace and really prominent cheekbones. The eyes were small black holes, so it was really difficult to see them. Um… he wore a hooded jacket. A dark grey or blue one. It could've even been purple, aru. Combat boots. Trousers, not jeans. He was big and heavyset – um… I say big, but he wasn't fat. Just muscular, aru. Tall. As I said. Is that good?"

Kiku turned the sheet of paper to let him see. Yao could see some kind of resemblance between his friend's drawing and the man he'd seen that night. It wasn't exact, but if there was one thing Kiku Honda was good at, it was getting a clear image. Several times Yao had turned to Kiku's impressive art skills to get down a rough image of a person of interest according to a victim.

"Pretty accurate," he took the picture. "I'll pin this up as picture evidence, aru."

"Glad to have helped," Kiku turned to the next bowl.

Yao thoughtfully slurped up more ramen as he stared at the man who had hit him with a crowbar two nights ago now. It was hard to believe he'd escaped so easily. Yao almost felt ashamed of himself.

"Perhaps you can get Lien to go out face matching and theorising?" Kiku suggested, gesturing towards the quiet girl sitting beside Yao at the bar.

He glanced at his colleague as she drew the paper close to her and nodded, taking a snapshot of it on her phone. She didn't say anything, but instead pushed the paper back to him and continued eating her ramen.

"I just feel like I'm getting nowhere with this, aru," Yao sighed. "I'm trying, but sometimes it's like we're not any closer than what we were to start with…"

"Keep on the bright side," Kasam beamed. "I don't think we're as far off as you say. We have a sort of face on this guy. I think all we need to do is start tabbing him. Besides, I just received a phone call that could give us something else to think about in the meantime."

"Really?" Yao sat up in his seat.

"That'd be good, since we still need to get paid," Lei glowered at him.

"Ah, yes, my parents are asking for this month's rent," Kiku added, unable to meet Yao's gaze.

"Well, what was it about, aru?" Yao asked, ignoring the inevitable truth that the month's rent was going to be late.

"He didn't want to speak over the phone," Kasam replied. "He actually wanted to meet you in person."

"What did you say?" he asked nervously. "Did you say you'd get back to him, aru?"

"I actually said you'd take the case and meet him tomorrow at eleven on the dot," Kasam smiled.

" _What_?" Yao gawked. "What if I was busy? What if my head injury meant I couldn't take the case? That would be one disappointed customer and news would spread about how terrible I am, aru. You could've risked my entire business!"

"Except I didn't," his receptionist smiled knowingly. "Even with a punctured lung, I can't see you refusing a case from this particular person."

"With a punctured lung?" Yao looked curious.

"The caller was none other than the Young Master," Kasam chuckled. "Roderich Edelstein has a case for _you_."

* * *

 **A/N:** _I thought I'd start with a little introduction! I really hope everyone likes this, and the main story itself will certainly pick up in the next chapter! Thank you for reading Investigasians, and I can't wait to continue posting these chapters!_

 _Yao Wang:_ China  
 _Yong Soo Im:_ Korea  
 _Lei Siu Chun:_ Hong Kong (I know most people call him 'Li Xiao Chun', but his nickname 'Li' would've been too similar to Lien's name and Xiao is someone else's surname).  
 _Kiku Honda:_ Japan  
 _Lien Chung:_ Vietnam  
 _Kasam Yodsuwan:_ Thailand


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Hello, and welcome back to Investigasians! It seems like there's a lot of positive responses to this Fic, so I'm happy it's got off to a good start! I've probably said this a million times over, but I've been so excited about getting this Fic into motion and sharing it with you all! It's going to be a lot of fun (and crime)!_

 _Without further ado, here is the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Yao ensured everything in his office was looking perfect. He had hastily hidden all the messy scrap papers he kept on his desk, as well as sent Lei away to another room with that wretched laptop of his. He had opened the blinds to add some light into the room, and had gone to the great effort of sweeping the floor and hoovering the carpet to make it appear spotless. He had wiped his desk clean of any coffee stains, as well as rowed his books neatly on their shelf to make himself appear a learned and avid scholar. In a pretence, he'd plastered one wall with photos from old cases to make himself appear in demand and popular. He turned on a fan, because his office was usually stuffy and hot and cramped, but today, it would be like a professional's air conditioned establishment. Whilst there was nothing he could do about the Honda ramen shop below, he was sure Mr Edelstein would keep an open mind and still meet him at eleven. He had positioned Kasam at the reception table just before the office, with his pleasant smile and good natured behaviour. He could always trust Kasam to make a good impression on strangers.

He had even brushed himself up. Rather than wear the dark, dusty coat he always wore on missions, he wore the only clean cut suit jacket he owned with matching trousers. To make him seem serious, rather than pompous, Yao had gone for a casual shirt underneath and a lose tie. He wore his watch on his wrist for show. He had brushed _and_ combed his hair, and had tied his hair back, rather than leave the ponytail slung to the side. He felt the refined man, ready to take on whatever case Edelstein had prepared for him. He had told Kasam to send him a message when the client-to-be was sent his way. So far, nothing, and it was already ten to.

There was only one thing he'd had to do to make his life just that little bit easier: get Yong Soo out of the vicinity. Although clumsily suitable to a be a sidekick, the youngest member of the Investigasians was not the best for presenting them as a good organisation that had earned significant wealth from their trade. He was loud, messy, a klutz and would only act inappropriately towards the client, as if he were interrogating them. Yao knew this because he had done it many times in the past. However, with someone such as Edelstein's status, he couldn't afford to allow Yong Soo threaten to lose this job. He needed the money; both Lei and Kiku had made that clear. It was only fortunate their youngest member had school during the week.

His phone buzzed, alerting him to the presence of his latest customer. Lifting his feet from the desk, as Yao thought that made him look arrogant, he sat up straight and pretended to be a little busy reading through a "case"- more like his rental bill. The door opened to reveal Kasam smiling into the room, two people standing behind him. For a moment, Yao was thrown. Two people? Were these even _more_ clients? However, the clock recognised the time as eleven exactly, and he could clearly see that the man who entered his room was none other than Roderich Edelstein. He wasn't sure who the woman with him was, but assumed that, if the client had brought her to this room, then she was allowed to know about the case.

"Please, have a seat, aru," he gestured to the other side of his desk, and cringed to see there was only one chair there. "Um…"

"I'll go grab another chair," Kasam promised.

"It's fine," Roderich Edelstein glanced around the room uncomfortably. "I can stand."

"Are you sure, Sir?" Kasam looked hesitant.

"Honestly, I'm fine…" the Young Master was looking vacantly outside the window.

Yao wasn't sure what to have expected him to look like, but for some reason, he imagined him to appear like one of those great composers, with frazzled grey hair and skin that hadn't seen sun in decades. The young man standing in his room was not of that appearance – he had a thoughtful expression, stylish glasses balanced on his nose, and dressed in a unique manner that both expressed his wealth and fashion sense. He was both modern and traditional, and somehow, Yao respected him for that.

"You seem busy," Roderich commented, tapping his temple as he glanced between Yao and the board that had been purposefully set up.

At first, he wasn't sure if the Young Master was attempting Sign Language or Morse Code with him, but then Yao realised his client-to-be was referring to the stitching on his head. Smiling to himself, he proudly nodded and offered a nonchalant shrug.

"I've had many a client and case, aru," he gestured to the board. "As the pair of you are here today, it seems word about my agency has spread far and wide across the city."

"Well, ja… 'Investigasians' isn't a name so easily forgotten," he wasn't sure if there was a slight hint of disdain in the Young Master's voice. Either way, Yao was to efficiently ignore it, and instead nodded with a wide smile.

"What can I do for you two today, anyway?" Yao asked. "I have to say, the concert your father put on last Friday was rather impressive, Mr Edelstein."

With a little effortless research, Yao had been able to gather information that the Young Master's father had played a huge, musical concert recently. If he pretended he'd gone, then it would make the client-to-be feel in a more familiar, safer environment. The reaction received was not the one he'd expected. Rather than joyfully share his love for music, Roderich Edelstein raised a hand to his mouth and looked back out the window.

"I-I'm sorry, Detective Wang," the young woman smiled reassuringly at his client-to-be. "You see… we actually came here _about_ Roderich's father."

"Oh?" Yao frowned. "What about, aru?"

"We've kept it low brow- as in, _really_ low brow- so we want you to keep this case as confidential as you can," she said pointedly.

"May I ask your name, Ma'am?" he asked.

"Ah, my name is Elizabeta Hédeváry," she held out her hand to show a glittering ring on her finger, diamonds and all. "Roderich's fiancée."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, aru," he smiled. "So, what's happened?"

"Murder," Elizabeta answered.

"Murder?" he repeated, unsure. "As in, the murder of...?"

"Roderich's father," she nodded. "The police are currently looking into the scene, but we felt… well… they haven't gotten very far, and it's already been two days. Myself and Roderich are, naturally, getting anxious that it could become a cold case. We just want justice and to see what happened to our poor father."

"Of course, of course," Yao shrugged. "A case on murder? I'd be happy to take it, aru. Just one thing…"

"One grand," Roderich laid a stack of money on the desk. "Two fifty for taking it, and seven fifty for completing it."

Yao's eyes bugged out as he assessed the expensive wad presented before him. He took it in his hands, raised his head and saw the expressions of both husband and wife-to-be were serious.

"All this?" he gawked aloud.

"My father, Niklas Edelstein, was an important man in this society and his music has inspired many, brought laughter to others and reduced some to miserable wrecks of tears and sadness," Roderich said sharply. "He was a great man worth far beyond one thousand mere pounds, I can tell you that."

"I'm definitely doing this case, aru," Yao nodded, and dropped the money in his safe box where he stored his dwindling cash. "I'd like to ask a question before we do anything."

"Go ahead," Elizabeta shrugged.

"Was the late Mr Edelstein hated by many people?" Yao asked carefully.

Roderich glanced back out the window whilst Elizabeta paused for thought. "He was rich, but I'm not aware he had enemies. I'd say no – he was a good man."

"Alright, then," Yao said. "I'd like to have full access to his personal details, travels, cards, and so on. It's important I know everything about the victim in order to make links to potential suspects, aru."

"Understood," Elizabeta looked solemn. "Will you… require a house key?"

"No," Yao shook his head. "If I need to investigate around the house, I'll do so, aru. Or if I need to speak with one of you, I can arrange a meeting. Might I ask, first of all, where the crime scene occurred?"

"The music theatre," Roderich suddenly turned from the window to look at them both. "My father was murdered the night of his show, after it had finished. He never made it home."

"Oh, Roderich," Elizabeta had sympathy in her eyes. "Yes, it's true. Our father was… he was dead by the time his body was found Saturday morning."

"OK," Yao jotted that down in his little handbook of details. "Thank you very much. I will begin investigating this case."

"How long will it take for you to do this?" Roderich demanded. "I need to know when my justice will be found?"

"It really varies, depending on how elaborate a case is," Yao explained. "They usually take a week, sometimes a few days, and some cases take up to two weeks."

 _Then there are some that have taken me months,_ Yao thought, but held his silence concerning anything to do with the Target – his client had been extremely strict about that.

"Very well," Roderich said. "I expect to receive a result. I'm sure you do as well, as there won't be an additional seven hundred and fifty should no conclusion reach my doorstep."

Yao watched Roderich Edelstein stride out of the room with his head held high. He was usually disinclined to help rude customers, but the seven hundred and fifty promised pounds would be enough to keep his rent paid for at least ten months. Elizabeta stood awkwardly and offered Yao a shaky smile.

"He's just upset, that's all," she fretted. "He loved his father more than any of that man's friends and fans. _Idolised_ him, even. Well, since we found out about his death, Roderich's been extremely quiet. I suggested we come see you, and he didn't even argue back. Thank you very much for taking this case, by the way."

"No problem, aru," Yao shook her hand and saw her to the door, closing it behind her and surveying his now neat office. "My Arumeter is telling me I made the right decision."

Yao left his office about a minute later and found his way to the back room, their base of operations, were Lei and Lien were sprawled across their sofas, one on her phone, the other his laptop. Both raised their heads upon his entrance.

"How did it go?" Lei asked.

"Good, I think," he shrugged. "We'll have everyone regroup here so we can discuss the case."

"And Kiku?" Lien lowered her eyes back to her phone.

"We'll relay the details to Kiku if we need his help, aru," Yao replied, sitting down in a chair. "For now, though, leave him to his job."

Their Base of Operations was a small, tightly packed room that Kiku had once used to keep his school equipment. As it had no longer been in use, the Honda family had allowed Yao to use it for his business, just as they'd allowed him to use their study when he needed to, and share a room with Kiku. For the meagre eighty-five pounds they asked from him per month, the Honda family truly did give him a good deal. At first, when he'd just moved back into the city as a finished student, he had stayed free with Kiku, but after his ten months of free stays had morphed into two years, Mr Honda had grown tired and set down the rent. Although it was low, Yao still only just about kept up with it. This room was now cluttered with several chairs and Lei's computer equipment used for handling digital information.

As it was a Monday, Yong Soo probably wouldn't get to hear about the briefing. He called reception, and Kasam was in the room before they knew it.

"The pair of them looked very distressed as they left," he noted. "What happened in there?"

"Murder," Yao explained, and watched his colleagues' eyes widen. "Not in my room. In the music theatre. That's what we've been hired for."

Lei looked suspicious. "We've been hired to solve a _murder_ case. Are you sure?"

"Positive," Yao glowered at him. "My Arumeter is telling me this was never an accident. "

"How much are we getting for it?" the computer nerd asked.

"Well, we've already been given a small fraction of the money," Yao explained, doling out a sum of money to each of them.

"This is nearly forty," Lei commented. "We usually get less than fifteen quid. This is only a _smaller_ fraction of the money?"

"If my calculations are right, each of you should receive one hundred and fifty each," Yao said smugly.

He watched Lei pause. "You're getting a _grand_ for this?"

"Hey, it's a murder case," Yao protested. "Not just some run of the mill 'my boyfriend is cheating on me with three others' type of case, aru. This is some costly work. There is some cold blooded killer involved in this who could pose a threat to us."

"This won't turn into another masked man mystery flop, will it?" Lei asked wearily. "When do we receive this second payment?"

"Once we've solved the case," Yao explained, and watched them deflate. "Hey, don't look so disheartened. We'll be able to do this one."

"How do we know this wasn't a crime committed _by_ the Target?" Kasam asked.

"Because it happened Friday night, which was, to be precise, the night I chased him across rooftops at God only knows what time," Yao countered.

"So… your enemy has an alibi…" Lei shook his head in disdain and disbelief.

"Shut up, aru. The two cases are completely unrelated, as far as I'm concerned. The Target has no direct connection to the death of Roderich Edelstein's father."

"We've never dealt with murder before," Lei said. "How do we tackle this?"

"We investigate the crime scene," Yao shrugged. "It happened at the music theatre, so our only choice is to head on over there, aru."

"I'll stay here should your career suddenly become successful," Kasam shrugged. "You never know when someone will call up or appear at the desk!"

Cheerfully, he walked away.

"I'm coming with," Lei pulled his hoodie on and set his laptop aside. "If I can get some photos of the crime scene, I can put them on digital analysis."

"I want to take a look at the corpse," Lien added.

"OK, well, obviously, Yong's at school, so we don't need to worry about him, aru," Yao said cheerfully. "It's just the three of us, then."

"He's almost finished, though," Lei warned. "His holidays will be on for about a month. You won't be able to get rid of him."

"I'll deal with that when it comes, aru," he replied.

The three of them went downstairs, Lei pulling up his hood to conceal his face as they went. Yao always wondered why the computer nerd was so secretive, but he guessed he didn't want to become a potential target for investigating the late Mr Edelstein's death. One after the other, they piled into his car, the trusty Old Honda Civic – if there was one thing that Yao never stopped teasing Kiku about, then it was that he shared the car's name.

"Music theatre, here we go," Yao started up the engine and they were off.

The Old Honda Civic was a manual car; it had been considerably cheaper than everything else Yao had looked at. Although it had still taken several months of his rent away from the Honda family, putting him debt for a while, Yao perceived the ugly thing as his sibling or child, take your pick. Either way, he cared for the piece of scrap metal in a way its previous owner hadn't.

They stopped in the theatre's parking lot. Police cars and vans surrounded the entire building, the yellow crime tape swaying in the breeze, restricting any public entry. Other than that, the place was deserted. Compared to the throngs of people that had been present to see the late Niklas Edelstein's final show, this was a meagre result of a gathering. It almost seemed sad that, when the time of death actually _did_ occur, the entire audience of nearly five thousand people suddenly weren't present.

Yao stepped out of the car and glanced around. He assumed that, in a time like this, he wouldn't need to buy a parking ticket. He was, after all, part of the special authorities. With Lei and Lien following just footsteps behind, Yao approached the front of the building where the police were gathered.

"No public access," the Chief Policeman stepped forward, green eyes gleaming with amusement as a smug expression spread across his face.

Although he had reached such a high position, Arthur Kirkland had once attended school alongside Yao. He hadn't liked him then, because of the smug manner he'd had when being good at academia, and he still didn't like him, partly because he was successful, but also because that smugness had carried over, and was often directed at how he barely knew who Yao was.

"You know, I'm a Private Detective, aru," he showed his ID in agitation.

Arthur took the ID in his hands and held it between his fingers as if it were riddled with filth. He raised suspicious eyes and shook his head. "I've never heard of you before, I'm not sure I-"

"You can tell it's obviously authentic," Yao scowled. "Not to mention you've seen it before, _aru_."

"There's no need to act like that," Arthur dropped the ID back into his hands and shrugged. "I'm only messing around with you. Like old school mates, right?"

"I've been hired by Roderich Edelstein to investigate this murder," Yao scowled. "If you don't let me through, you'll have him to answer to _him_."

"What about these two?" he asked. "Who are they?"

"My crew," Yao said, striding forwards.

Arthur only just stepped out the way in time. "Where's the kid gone? Did he join a better detective agency?"

"He's at school, duh, aru!" Yao stormed into the musical theatre and blew out an agitated breath. "I hate that guy."

"He's arrogant," Lien agreed, although she herself didn't know him as well, having not been to the same school as him.

Yao showed his ID to another pair of officers and they passed through the next stage of doors to find themselves in reception. Yao had actually never set foot in the theatre, but here it was, looking grandiose, and this was just the reception. It looked posh and untouched, but Yao couldn't help but notice how the thinnest layers of dust had begun to form on the desk and how the carpet didn't look freshly cleaned. After the murder, cleaning staff must've been temporarily let off whilst investigations proceeded.

"Something tells me it was obvious Niklas Edelstein was murdered," Lien commented with a grim expression on her face as they passed through the lobby. "After all, there's no question of suicide or an accident."

Yao didn't like the sound of that, but pressed on, just as there were running footsteps behind him. He turned to see Lei catching up, a little red faced.

"Where were you?" he asked, frowning.

"Talking to Chief Officer Kirkland," he explained. "I was asking him a few questions about the surveillance on this building. The only people to enter this building since late Mr Edelstein's death was the janitor, who supposedly found his body, Elizabeta Hédeváry and Roderich Edelstein. Other than that, all people have been banned and even the janitor didn't return since discovering the body."

"I see, OK," Yao huffed, disliking that Lei seemed to have managed to have a pleasant conversation with the sarky police officer.

Lien pushed open the door into the magnificent opera room.

* * *

 **A/N:** _A little bit to chew on! I wonder who killed Niklas Edelstein? I mean, I know... but you guys don't! Feel free to shout any guesses in a review (I mean, you can do it verbally, but maybe shout quietly, if that's the case?) because, even though the night is young, I always love replying to people's reviews. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter of Investigasians, and I look forwards to hearing your opinions!_

 _Until next time!_

 _Yao Wang:_ China  
 _Yong Soo Im:_ Korea  
 _Lei Siu Chun:_ Hong Kong  
 _Lien Chung:_ Vietnam  
 _Kasam Yodsuwan:_ Thailand  
 _Kiku Honda:_ Japan  
 _Roderich Edelstein:_ Austria  
 _Elizabeta Hédeváry:_ Hungary  
 _Arthur Kirkland:_ England


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Hey everyone- sorry for the long wait! I was almost prevented from uploading, too, because I was having some technical issues, but they were easily sorted! I must admit, though, the smallest things frustrate me..._

 _I'm in full swing for my exams, and I actually had a major one last Friday. I came home, and did actually nothing, so... I think that's one reason why that wasn't posted on Friday. The other reason was that my hands had metaphorically died. I wrote 18 pages for my exam, which is not normal, and still had 5 minutes to spare! I mean, to be fair, it was a 2 hour exam. I'm taking it as a good sign that I knew my stuff. As for Saturday, my excuse is, once again, my not-so-blessed Internet connection. The weather was really bad, and it kind of wrecks my Internet access. Nothing was loading, and I just had to give up and call it a day. So, that it why I'm abysmally late posting this chapter! Some force of nature attempted to prevent me just now, but I'm resilient and refuse to quelled._

 _On a different, much brighter note, I only have 3 exams left and 2 of them are next Friday- the last one's on the following Tuesday, and then I'm finished! It's going to be very exciting, and I think I shall post an additional chapter on the Tuesday, or Wednesday, as a celebration for my exams having finished. Also... next week exactly, I'm going to be seeing Coldplay! This is absolutely momentous, and I'm so excited to hear them play. I've seen before, some years ago, but they only played a couple songs, since it was a number of acts. This is the first only Coldplay concert I've been to, and as it's for my friend's 18th- precisely on the day- this is a very exciting time. I'm saying this in advance, just in case if I fail to have the next chapter out by at most Saturday (I'm hoping Friday), but this one's for her, even if she doesn't watch Hetalia!_

 _Without further ado, here's the next chapter of the Musical Massacre!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Audience chairs must've stretched back for at least a mile, and there was even a balcony above to fit more people. Yao had seen it on the computer video he'd watched on an older performance, and had been impressed by the masses that had managed to squeeze themselves into one, large room. Now, as the seats were all empty, it suddenly seemed much smaller and emptier. It looked a little less grand than when it had been readied for performance; the average ceiling lights were on, rather than the stage lights, and the room lacked the pre-performance excited chatter of the audience.

They stood at the bottom where the musicians would play if it were a theatre production. Niklas Edelstein himself had been both a performer, but also owner of the theatre. He would've taken the stage for his final performance on the piano. There was a throng of police officers standing on the stage, as Yao and his colleagues approached. He held up his ID as he walked over, and watched them part ways to let him see the body.

"The exact time of death remains unconfirmed," one officer said.

"I'll take a look at the body for analysis once you're done with your basic check-up," Lien told Yao, placing her briefcase gently on the stage and opening it to reveal an assortment of interesting medical looking equipment. Yao was no expert in this part. He wondered how Lien was. He watched her pull on some gloves before she approached the corpse.

Yao had never been told to go on a murder case before. He had seen bodies on TV and in police and crime shows, but he had never thought he would see a real one. For some reason, he had never believed anyone would hire him for something as serious as this. Beside him, Lei looked slightly pale, but he held up the camera and proceeded to take snapshots of the body from all angles.

With an uncomfortable swallow, Yao wandered around the body. Niklas Edelstein must've died a painful death. He was tied to the piano by its own cords, that appeared to have been cut and used to strangle him to death. The body was blue faced, its eyes unfocused. Yao assumed this was probably the last time anyone would be able to see the crime scene before the body was moved for preservation purposes. If that was the case, then he was very fortunate.

"It looks like he was strangled," Lei said, as Lien approached the body alongside them. Yao thought that was rather obvious, what with the strings still wrapped around his neck.

"If you take a closer look, there are wounds on the back of his head as well," Lien said, standing beside the corpse. "It seems an object of some kind has been used to beat him."

"Is that the cause of death, aru?" Yao asked, joining her and seeing the dried blood on the back of the dead man's head.

"No, asphyxiation definitely was," she shook her head. "I'd assume those attacks were to subdue him."

"Niklas Edelstein was alive when he was strangled?" Yao frowned, feeling his stomach churn.

"Precisely," she said. "If you take a look at his face, you'll see his head direction indicates he was faced away from the killer. If Niklas Edelstein truly was murdered on this spot, then the killer probably approached him from back stage whilst he was beside the piano. I'll swab for any fingerprints or suspicious DNA samples…"

Lien set to work whilst Yao took a look at the piano. The case had been smashed to pieces, and hints of blood could be seen.

"What do you think this is?" Lei asked him, standing beside him.

"A desperate attempt to hide any fingerprint trace," Yao explained. "If what I'm seeing here is correct, then the victim, Niklas Edelstein, was attacked before the piano was smashed to pieces. The killer knew that, if strung tight enough, piano cords could be used to kill him. They must've dragged his body over to finish the work they'd started."

The pair of them glanced around the room and saw a patch of blood that had been brutally scrubbed at on the stage. It was right beside the piano stool.

"I'd assume Niklas Edelstein was playing piano before he was attacked," Yao guessed.

"And the murderer attempted to clean away as much of the evidence as they could," Lei agreed. "But why?"

Yao pursed his lips. "I'm not sure either…"

He wandered round to get a closer look at the piano stool. The piano was left open. There was no book or sheet music in sight.

"Yes, he was definitely playing the piano," Yao said thoughtfully. "But what exactly was he playing? There's no book here…"

"Could he play from memory?" Lei pondered. "That seems likely... Or did the killer take it?"

"That's what I was wondering, aru," Yao rubbed his chin. "But… why would the killer want the music Niklas Edelstein was playing? Why not just steal it? Why kill him in the process?"

"To claim it as their own?" Lei cast him a sideways glance.

"I'm not one for coming to conclusions this early on," Yao murmured. "But it is _mighty_ suspicious that the musician's music was taken…"

"Do you think it could've been Edelstein himself?" Lei asked.

"As I said, I won't state a conclusion yet," Yao said. "He was very quiet, and his fiancée noted he'd been affected by his father's death. Besides, he seemed extremely eager to get justice."

"Guilt?" Lei suggested. "Perhaps, in the desire to become greater than his father by taking his masterpiece, Roderich Edelstein murdered him. However, because he'd murdered his own family, the horror of it proved to be too much."

"He's definitely on the suspects list," Yao wrote this down in his little notebook.

"What about these wires?" Lei peered into the piano. "They look pretty wrecked."

"That's because they've been pulled," Lien said, standing and walking over. "The killer didn't use scissors to cut them, which indicates they weren't planning on using the wires when they originally came. The killer believed their weapon would be strong enough to bludgeon Niklas Edelstein to death. Because he was still conscious, though, they couldn't leave him in the room alone, for fear of his possible escape. Whilst he couldn't struggle, he was still alive. The blood on the piano case suggests the killer used the weapon to attack Edelstein to also smash open the piano."

"Why not just open the piano, aru?" Yao scowled.

"I'm not sure," Lien admitted. "Perhaps they needed to be quick? Getting a grand piano's lid to stand up would take time and effort. I don't think they wanted to risk the lid hitting their own head, maybe?"

"Or they knew squat about pianos," Lei said.

"Or pretended they knew squat," Yao added pointedly. "But I do wonder… I thought most master musicians play a grand piano with the lid open, aru?"

"They do," Lien said.

"So… was Niklas playing the piano, or wasn't he?" Lei frowned.

"Perhaps he was about to?" Yao shrugged. "He was doing something at the piano stool, and I'd like to know what…"

"Maybe he couldn't be bothered to set it up?" Lei suggested.

"I think we need to know more about his character before we start making judgements like that," Lien said. "After all, it's difficult to predict his movements if we don't know him."

"The people who would know him best would be Elizabeta and Roderich, which means we should aim to speak with them," Yao said. "What else can we do here?"

"Well, piano strings can break randomly based on their tuning," Lien said. "However, this has just been brute force. Once again, there's blood on these snapped wires, indicating the same weapon was used to pry them off."

"It would've been easier to add pressure until they snapped," Lei muttered.

"Unless, of course, they didn't know to do that," Yao glanced at him. "It's possible that our theory was too quick."

"Desperate people act outside character," Lei argued. "And methodical killers can put on an act."

"This wasn't the work of a methodical killer," Lien said. "They came very unprepared. Because they needed to improvise, they appear to have a high capacity to think on the spot, but they still lacked a plan B that a professional killer would have. The wounds on the head imply they were merely using brute strength, and it just wasn't enough."

"What do you think the weapon was?" Yao glanced around. "I can't see anything suspicious here."

"The killer probably took it with them," Lien replied. "Based on the wounds, I would guess something long and thin. Perhaps a pole? It wouldn't be made of iron, because more damage would've been done, then. However, to have broken the skull, it must be metal. I'm guessing aluminium, or maybe even steel."

"What about a broom?" Lei suggested.

"A broom?" Lien glanced at the body. "If the broom had a metal handle, then possibly, but I'm not sure. Why?"

"There's a blood patch here," Lei pointed to the bar stool. "This was the exact place where Niklas Edelstein was murdered."

"I see," Lien's eyes scanned the floor, mainly around the bloodstain. "Once more, an unprofessional job of cleaning away this blood stain. There's also a slight drag mark where the body was turned and pulled away. That should mean there's fingerprints on the body, and yet I was unable to define any."

"The killer was wearing gloves?" Yao looked curious.

"That's why I'm unsure of why such a clumsy job has been made of the killing itself…" Lien's eyes narrowed. "It seems so badly done that you could almost say it's _too_ unprofessional."

"Maybe they knew what they were doing, but hesitated?" Lei pressed.

"You're desperate for this to be Edelstein," Yao stated.

"Well, I doubt he's an experienced killer, but he sounds like an intelligent man, from what I've heard of him," Lei shrugged. "It's only natural he would hesitate before murdering his father."

"Unless this truly is the work of someone who wears gloves on an ordinary basis and keeps brooms and cleaning equipment?" Lien said. "Someone who wouldn't be an experienced killer, so it makes sense that this scene is so messy but that they were wearing gloves?"

"I don't understand the significance of them wearing gloves," Lei mumbled.

"They hide fingerprints," Lien explained. "Either they were already wearing gloves, or they put them on for this purpose. The type of person to fit my description and the former position means suspicions could also point towards…"

"The janitor," Yao gasped. "Of course! He even found the body, aru!"

"Would it be worth checking the janitor's closet, then, for any suspicious objects?" Lei asked. "As well as questioning the janitor himself?"

"Might as well," Yao said. "It's one of our leads. Is there _anything_ else we can gather from the crime scene?"

"It's an assumption, but I'd assume this crime took place at night," Lien said. "The janitor was probably the only person here at the time, so less people would be aware of what was taking place."

"It's pointing very close to the janitor at the moment," Yao admitted. "Could it be we have our killer?"

"We won't jump to conclusions yet," Lien said. "I need to ask the police for access to this body whenever I need it. I've searched it for any clues, but nothing. However, it could prove to be useful…"

"I'll ask for access to the security footage of the entire building," Lei turned away. "If I can get a copy, I can probably take a complete overview of the entire building and people inside."

"I'll take a look at the janitor's cupboard, aru," Yao turned away and headed towards the backstage area.

He assumed the janitor's closet was kept out of sight, so would probably be down one of those mysterious 'Staff Only' areas. There were all sorts of instruments that were stored out back. Yao surveyed each piece of musical equipment for any bloodstained items, but nothing matched to Lien's description of the murder weapon. He passed through into a few 'Staff Only' corridors. The floor was tiled and looked slightly unpleasant. He checked a few doors and found some bathrooms. There was no sign of the janitor's bucket in either. He wandered further down the hall, checking doors absently. A lot of them were storerooms of new instruments, but also libraries of the works of previous musicians; Bach, Schumann, Chopin, Verdi and many more.

The door on the end finally led him into a room that looked promising enough to be the janitor's. The classic cleaning bucket was left in one corner, but it currently had no water in it. There was a flannel, and sponge, but no broom in sight. As the room was small, it didn't take Yao long to search the cupboards for unfitting sheet music or a book. He found neither, and the cupboards that contained cleaning liquid didn't have a broom hiding within them. Yao even went as far to check under the desk, but raised his head, unsuccessful of finding anything of value. He checked the cupboards one more time and saw one of the bottles had less cleaning liquid inside. With great care and precision, he reached into his pocket and took out a tissue. He picked up the bottle of bleach using the tissue and carried it from the room.

Lien and Lei were waiting for him in the opera room when he returned with the curious bottle.

"Check this out," he said, offering the bottle to Lien.

She took it in her gloved hands. "What is it?"

"I found it in the janitor's cupboard," Yao said. "Perhaps it was used to clean up the bloodstain?"

Lien looked thoughtful. "I swabbed the ground near the bloodstain, just in case of traces of the liquid remained. If I take a small sample of this, then I can compare them."

He watched her swab the lid, and also use a plastic syringe to extract some of the liquid, which she then squirted into a tiny, little glass tube. She capped a lid over it whilst Lei snapped a photo of the bleach bottle.

"I'd say hand that in to the authorities," Lien said. "If it's potential evidence, they need to know about it."

Yao nodded and did as instructed, watching it get sealed in a plastic bag and whisked away.

"I'm fairly sure we're done here, aru," he walked over to the other two. "If we need to return, we always can. Did you two get what you wanted?"

"I've been granted full access to the body if I need to," Lien looked pleased.

"I wasn't so successful," Lei grumbled. "They don't want digital files being removed from police hands, so I need to go over there tomorrow afternoon if I'm to get anywhere…"

"Don't worry about it," Yao said. "You can always do that. That means our business here is done."

Satisfied with their work, the three of them left. Arthur Kirkland remained in his position before the door.

"Done wasting our time?" he scowled. "Let me guess, you found out that you're not cut out for this kind of crime?"

"I'll have you know that I and my team performed very well, thank you very much," Yao huffed.

"Who did it, then?" Chief Officer Kirkland leant closer with a smirk.

"I can't say I know that, aru," Yao pressed his lips together.

"Then you're in no different a position to the police," Arthur waved a hand. "Be on your way. It'd only look more suspicious if you hung around here all day."

With a disgruntled glare, Yao turned and left the scene with Lien and Lei. He felt they'd made significant progress. They already had a prime suspect, and a secondary suspect. For a brief look around the room, Yao felt that was rather good. The Investigasians piled into their car.

"I'm so hungry," Lei complained, taking shotgun.

"Well, it is five," Yao checked the time. "I didn't realise I was looking around that building for so long, aru."

"You were gone a while," Lei said. "But we also spent a lot of time assessing the body and the crime scene. It feels… weird, to actually be doing things like this…"

"Hey, if it makes you feel un-"

"Honestly, the promise of one fifty keeps me going," Lei turned his head to look out across the city. "It's not that I'm bothered, I just feel like we're actually doing the work this business was set up for."

"Every little helps," Yao quoted – that certain supermarket's slogan was always convenient.

"Aniki!" they all turned their heads to see Yong Soo riding towards them on his bike.

"What are you doing here?" Yao gawked.

"I finished school for the day," he leapt off the bike and rolled it towards them. "When I went to Honda's Ramen shop, only Kasam and Kiku were there. Kasam told me you'd gone to the music theatre, so I rode my bike all the way here."

"Good on you, I guess," Yao said. "Hey, we were just going to get a coffee from nearby, aru. How about you join us and I'll fill you in on what we've just discovered?"

"About the Musical Massacre?" Yong Soo loaded his bike into the car boot.

"I should make you ride after us in that bike of yours for such an inappropriate comment," Yao scolded. "But yes. The 'Musical Massacre', if you so want to say that."

"Cool," his young sidekick climbed into the backseat beside Lien after giving Lei a look. It was usually Yong Soo who sat in the front, but not today, it seemed.

The drive to the nearest coffee shop wasn't long; they could've avoided the five o'clock traffic by walking. Once inside, Yao was cold enough for a good cup of coffee. He ordered himself a large cappuccino, needing the caffeine.

They all sat down at their little table with their steaming cups and, in Lei and Yong's case, a cake slice each. It was nice to relax after a strained day at work.

"So, what happened?" Yong Soo asked nervously.

"Niklas was murdered, aru," Yao said. "We suspect the janitor."

He pushed his little notebook of facts and clues towards the younger member of their group and watched his eyes scan the page. Yong Soo raised his head with widened eyes once he'd finished reading, and returned the notebook to Yao.

"Are we actually going after a murderer?" he gasped. "That's so exciting."

"Exciting?" Yao hissed. "This is dangerous work, Yong Soo, and it needs to be taken very seriously, do you understand, aru?"

"Yes, Aniki…" the young man lowered his head, ashamed of himself.

"However, it is pretty exciting," he sipped his coffee.

"What is your Arumeter telling you to do, then?" a sharp, displeased voice said.

Yao swallowed and turned in his seat to see who had spoken. Standing before him was someone he hadn't expected to see ever again.

"Mei?" he grimaced.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Ah, I really hope everyone enjoyed this week's chapter! I hope the Investigasians at least sound semi-professional... I'm no expert in murder cases, but one of my friends once told me a lot about forensics, and that was really interesting. I guess it partly inspired Investigasians, too, as I was deeply interesting in forensics myself for a long time afterwards. Anyway, for an amateur in murder, I hope it's somewhat convincing! I like to think Lien sounded professional._

 _Thank you for your patience and I really will try to get back onto my regular updating schedule!_

 _Yao Wang:_ China  
 _Lei Siu Chun:_ Hong Kong  
 _Lien Chung:_ Vietnam  
 _Roderich Edelstein:_ Austria  
 _Elizabeta Hédeváry:_ Hungary  
 _Arthur Kirkland:_ England  
 _Yong Soo Im:_ Korea _  
_ _Mei Xiao:_ Taiwan

 _P.S. If Chris Martin is found deceased on the stage, A) I didn't do it, and B) sign me and Yao up for investigating his case! Thank you for reading, and until next time!_


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Hey, everyone! I have an announcement, and that is: I only have one exam left! It's on the Tuesday 21st June, 9:00AM GMT+1. So, be thinking about me at that time! I'm only joking, the real is announcement is that, because I'll be finished with my exams, and school, I'm posting a celebratory extra chapter on Tuesday, so you'll have double me throughout the week!_

 _As you know, I'm seeing Coldplay tomorrow, and I'm super excited! Once exams are over, I've been invited to a couple parties, too, so I am Little Miss Popular right now. I say this because it might make my posting time dodgy next weekend, as I won't be able to guarantee a Friday chapter (as if I post chapters on Friday anyway)._

 _But yes, extra Tuesday chapter, and a massive thank you for all the support so far! I'm really enjoying writing this, and it seems like you guys like reading it, too, which is always a good sign! Thank you for your patience, and without further ado, here's the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

The last he had ever seen of her, Mei had been an awkward fifteen year old when he, dashing and eighteen, was whisked away to university for a great education. She had attended the same school as he and Kiku, and had even lived on the same street as him. However, by the time he was twenty-one and had returned to the neighbourhood, one of the last things his parents said to him before kicking him out was that Mei had left for America, to go to an Ivy League university and make a new life for herself in the States. He'd been mildly surprised at first, because when they were little children playing in the streets, she would always tell him that she wanted to become a humble chef. He had never thought Mei to be Ivy League material, but a lot could change in three years. Although they'd started coming to blows by the time they were old enough to be selective about people they liked, Yao had been disappointed at the time that the last thing he would've said to her was around the lines of: "The only cooking you'll ever get into will be frying the chips in McDonald's."

After leaving on a tragic note like that, he half expected to see her a few years later and see his dream come true.

Awkward fifteen year old Mei suddenly looked very different. He had to guess she was around twenty-two by now. She'd grown her hair long, and she definitely looked… older. In other words, she suddenly had the attention of both Lei and Yong Soo. They didn't realise there was a full-fledged harpy underneath. That was one thing that had remained consistent after all these years. The critical expression in her hostile eyes and tight lipped frown.

"So, tell me, _Yao_ ," she scowled. "How come Detective Wang hasn't become the worldwide international investigator he always dreamt of being? I didn't hear anything about you whilst I was in America."

"Success takes time, _aru_ ," he snapped. "For example, you seem to have moved on beyond your short lived career at Mc-"

"I _never_ worked in McDonald's," she grumbled. "I know it's not my own chef studio, but this job has earned me enough to get a half decent house and live rather comfortably."

"You have your _own_ house?" Yao blurted out. "You're not living with your parents… or anything?"

"No- are you?" she sniggered.

"Nope," he said genuinely. "I thought you were staying in America, aru?"

"The American Dream was a lot more temporary than I thought it'd be," she shrugged, gazing around the coffee shop. "It's nice being back. But you are a detective, aren't you?"

"Huh, well, yeah," he frowned.

"Hmm, that's what your mum said," Mei nodded. "I passed her on the street when I was visiting my parents. They still live in the same house. Your parents, that is. Mine moved several doors down."

Yao hadn't been back to that cursed street ever since his parents had banned him coming home, so he barely knew what it was like anymore.

"She said you'd gotten your own career as a Private Investigator," Mae continued. "And it just got me thinking back to when we were like… young and how we'd pretend we had our own business."

Yao paused to think. "I actually remember that…"

"Anyway, there's nothing wrong with McDonald's," she turned, carrying a tray in her hand. "People work there and have perfectly acceptable living standards."

She walked briskly away to serve more customers. Lei and Yong Soo followed her with their heads before the older of the two of them shot Yao with an almost glare.

"Where did you meet _her_?" he demanded.

"My neighbourhood," Yao sipped his coffee. "Why?"

"I didn't think you would ever know someone like that," Lei glanced over his shoulder once more, not noticing the flash of anger in Lien's eyes. "Is she single?"

"I haven't seen her in seven years, aru," Yao glowered. "How am I supposed to know that? Why does the likes of _you_ want to know anyway?"

"Really?" Lei sent him a look. "Are you _really_ asking that?"

"If you want to run into the spider's nest, go ahead, aru," Yao shrugged. "But I can tell you it won't be a fun ride."

"Would I have better luck?" Yong Soo finally drew his eyes away from Mei. "Didn't she say you used to play detective together? You should let her join; I think with all the practice, she could be of great help."

"I think you're missing out the fact that I don't actually _want_ Mei on my team, aru," Yao finished his coffee. "As you might not have noticed, _aru_ , we didn't actually get along just now, did we?"

"It didn't seem _that_ bad," Lei swirled his Americano around, downed the rest of it and ate the last bit of his cake.

"You two are just pathetic," Yao glanced at Mei from across the room as she placed coffee and food before another group of customers. "Mei… she's… happy doing… whatever it is she's doing, aru."

"I wonder why she left America, though," Lei pondered, drumming his fingers listlessly on the table. "I've heard it's the best thing ever."

"You heard what she said," Yao shrugged. "It didn't work out for her, aru. Anyway, I think we can call it a day for this case. We'll all do our respective things and regroup when the time's appropriate. Do you guys want a lift anywhere?"

"Nah, I'll just get my roommate to grab me," Lei glanced over his shoulder at Mei. "I'll stay a little longer."

"A lift home would be nice," Lien said, her flat white finished.

"Oh, yeah, Aniki, you wouldn't mind giving me a lift home either, would you?" Yong Soo scraped the last crumbs of his cake into his mouth.

"Of course not, aru," Yao rolled his eyes. "Your mum already hates me enough for distracting you from your schoolwork."

"I do my work at school," Yong Soo replied. "She just doesn't realise that because I tell her have work to do to avoid doing chores."

Yao squinted at the innocent face of his young colleague, but couldn't determine whether he was lying or not. As a child, for Yao, he worked _and_ did his chores. How was it that Yong Soo managed to avoid both?

"Right, well, let's go," he glanced awkwardly at Lei, who was on his phone. "Have fun… I guess?"

"I'll be in tomorrow to download and analyse these photos," Lei replied. "That way we can see if there were any details we missed before."

"No problem," he rose to his feet and left the cafe with Lien and Yong Soo.

Six o'clock had suddenly arrived and, alongside it, a bitter breeze similar to that of Friday night. Yao raised his eyes as they walked along the pavement, staring at the skyline of the buildings as they stood side by side. There was no masked man leering down at him from the Heavens. Friday night was suddenly a distant memory. For once, the man he'd chased for months had an alibi, just as Lei had said. He lowered his head just as the traffic lights turned green, alerting him to cross. The police cars were still at the theatre, but it seemed their Chief had gotten cold enough to flee indoors. Yong Soo reclaimed his front seat, and Lien wasn't one to complain. Yao started the car and set off onto the rapidly darkening streets.

* * *

Lien closed the door of her house, which left just Yao and Yong Soo the drive to the Im household. Lien lived in a pleasant area with a small little apartment. If Yao earned more from his career, he would be much more inclined to move out of Kiku's house and get one of his own. As it happened, though, he didn't, so the rows of pretty apartment houses remained forever out of reach. He set off in a direction that would bring him out of the city centre and to a more secluded, more private area of the city.

"You and Mei went to school together?" Yong Soo suddenly asked, and Yao wondered why this was playing on his mind so much.

"She went to the same school, but I knew her mainly from living a couple doors apart, aru," he said. "Our mums were friends. We didn't really talk in school."

"And were you…?" he didn't finish his sentence, but the implied question left in his tone must've supposed to have meant something.

"Were we what?" he asked.

"Dating?" Yong Soo shrugged.

"Absolutely _not_ ," Yao glared at him, then swiftly turned his eyes back to the road. "No, I… we definitely weren't dating, aru."

"Did she introduce you to the detective stuff, or did you teach her about it?" he asked.

"A bit of both," Yao admitted. "I used to love crime cases, so introduced her to it, but she was really creative, and made some really interesting things for me to solve…"

"Was it fun?" he asked.

"Yeah, very fun," Yao shrugged. "Otherwise I wouldn't be a PI, would I? It wasn't really like the real deal at all, but what would a couple of kids understand about the detective world? They wouldn't. We _didn't_."

"So… were the two of you friends?" Yong pressed.

Yao sighed. "Yes? Until we grew apart, aru."

He saw his colleague nod out of the corner of his eye.

"Why?" he asked. "What's with the interrogation?"

"I don't know much about your private life," Yong Soo murmured before quickly adding: "Not that I go out of my way to look into it. It's just… you're a secretive person, and I don't know much about your past."

"Kiku knows the entire story," Yao said. "And I didn't think I was _that_ secretive."

"You can be," he said mysteriously, just as Yao rolled the car into the young man's neighbourhood. "That's a good thing. You don't want everybody to know everything about you."

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Yong Soo," he replied absently. "You have a tendency to share a lot, aru."

"You think I should close up a little more?" he appeared thoughtful. "I guess so. I find it difficult though. I'm quite open in character. See? I'm even telling you what I think of myself."

Yao stopped the car and looked at the teenager in earnest. He always seemed that much older than a boy when he was investigating crimes and hanging around with Yao in the middle of the night. The reality was that Yong Soo was younger than he'd ever been when the detective work began. It was a dangerous world and he'd long brought Yong Soo into it. He couldn't even recall how that had quite happened. All he remembered was that the pair of them went to school with one another, except that Yong Soo was so much younger that Yao barely remembered him when he returned after his university studies.

"Well, just don't say too much," Yao said, looking towards the fancy city house Yong Soo lived in.

He was a wealthy kid, so didn't have to worry about the financial terror being a Private Detective could bring upon you. That was why Yao only gave him five per cent of the profit. The teen didn't live in the centre of the city, but more along the outskirts in a rich area. His house was big enough to accommodate the Investigasians comfortably, and yet, his parents were so against Yao and his business. They didn't realise what kind of hassle Yao went through to keep Yong Soo in line. They perceived him as their "precious baby" who could "do no harm".

"Alright, kid," he said. "Out you get, aru. You have school tomorrow."

"I guess," Yong Soo huffed. "I can't wait until I'm finished with it."

"Treasure your school years," Yao instructed. "And your childhood. They're easy."

"You say that, but the pressure for us students is constantly rising," Yong Soo sighed. "It just keeps getting more and more competitive. That's why I want to get out there and start my life as an adult. I think I would _like_ to become a detective, like Aniki, but… I'm not sure that's what I'll _actually_ do."

Yao didn't want any competition. "Do what you want. Now, inside. I'll be the one getting the blame if your mother doesn't see you home safe and sound."

"Alright," Yong Soo leapt out of the car, then turned shyly towards Yao. "Say… are we going to interrogate Edelstein together?"

"Of course," Yao rolled his eyes. "I need to pay and work for my rent tomorrow morning anyway. I'll probably be reviewing the photos Lei took as well. How about I come find you at five, wherever you are? We can hear what Lien has to say then about the crime scene, and then we can take a trip to Edelstein's house."

His whole face lit up. "That's great, Aniki. I'll see you tomorrow."

"At five," Yao called after him, then shook his head with a sigh. Yong Soo was so full of energy. Yao wondered how he did it.

He rolled the car away from Yong Soo's house and set off on his journey back to the ramen shop.

* * *

Working overtime wasn't something Mei did often. However, she'd bought a few shirts the other day, and her finances had been a little set back… In truth, she needed the extra money, so had opted to work all the way until eight. For ages, now, she had seen the police cars heading backwards and forwards between the station and the theatre, but had no idea what was truly going on. She wondered, for a moment, if Yao was involved with it, but then decided it was better if she didn't get involved. Mei continued her late night shift, oblivious to the murder scene that lay just a couple roads away from her.

* * *

It was an early start for Yao, who wasn't used to rising at six just to get ready for the work day at seven. Under Mr Honda's close instruction, he ended up boiling breakfast ramen to start his day, from seven, all the way to eleven, when he was finally released from duty. It was then that he finally paid his monthly rent, and was glad that he'd gotten himself out of debt to the Honda family again. For once, he actually had some spare cash. He knew it wouldn't last as he had next month's rent to pay in about three weeks.

Once he was finished with that chore, he hid himself away upstairs to where Lei had made himself comfortable in their room of operations.

"Anything caught your interest so far?" Yao wandered in to see the computer screens aglow in a dark room, all of them showing different images of the corpse and the crime scene. He always wondered why Lei had to make his job so... _dark_. Was it for atmosphere, or something?

"A little," Lei beckoned him over and tapped one of the screens. "You see that?"

Yao peered over his shoulder to see an image on Niklas Edelstein strung against the piano. It wasn't a scene he particularly wanted to remember, but he did nevertheless. The photo was focused on his torso mainly, something Lei had zoomed in on.

"What am I looking at?" Yao asked.

"There's a mark there," he tapped the screen once more in the same spot, and Yao leant closer.

There was a darkened mark on the side of Niklas Edelstein's shirt, hidden by the smart suit jacket he wore. Yao's brows furrowed as he stared at the mark, trying to make sense of it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Lei said uncertainly. "But I reckon Niklas wasn't wearing his jacket when he was bashed over the head. I think we need to get Lien to take another look at the corpse."

"She's working today, aru," he said. "And she said there was a chance she'd be finished with the evidence we already have to show us today."

"She won't be," Lei said. "Give her more time; she'll need it. I say present this to her tomorrow when she's showing us what she found. My guess is that it's either dirt or blood. One way or another, it could be a valuable clue as to who the murderer could be."

"Once again, why would they bother putting the jacket on?" Yao wondered aloud.

"To hide whatever they left on his shirt?" Lei said. "It makes me think they were in a hurry."

"Murder should be committed quickly, in theory… But yes, I agree with you," Yao nodded. "The whole process is extremely rushed. Did you get anything else?"

"Um…" he scrolled through the pictures and stopped on one. "Here. Look at the piano leg."

Yao peered closer and saw what looked like a violin bow leant against it. The two were tied together with what looked like string – perhaps the bow's? - in what looked like another messy cover up.

"What happened to it?" he asked.

"I guess it broke when they smashed the lid open," Lei said.

"But why bother patching it together?" Yao felt his brow furrow. "I honestly don't see the point? Weren't they in a hurry?"

"I'm not sure either, but it could be worth going back to the crime scene."

Yao thought of the horror of having to encounter the Chief Arsehole once again, but nodded his consent, deeming the money more important than the matters.

"That's all that really jumped out at me, though," Lei admitted. "Remember, I'll be going to the police station to review the security footage this afternoon? That might take all night, so I doubt I'll get back to you about it today and, if progress is slow, maybe not even the day after that…"

"Alright," Yao said. "I think I'll chat to Kiku about this… He always seems to have some good ideas."

Lei nodded and turned back to his computer, flicking through more of the photos. If he found anything else, Yao trusted that Lei would report to him immediately. For now, though, the photos had provided some intriguing details that made potential leads.

He headed downstairs for a brief chat with Kiku, relaying the smallest of details to him on the crime case.

His ramen making friend looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe it would be best to thoroughly check the crime scene again before moving on to anything else? Also, when you speak to Mr Edelstein and Miss Hédeváry, perhaps it would be worth talking about the janitor? If you can get a list of employee details, then you'll have a better idea of who you're looking for."

"That's true," Yao pondered.

"Some other advice is to also search for a motive," Kiku added. "There needs to be a reason, remember that."

"Got it."

Although short lived, his conversation with Kiku had been helpful indeed. He offered more help in the ramen store until it became the time to meet up with Yong Soo once again. After bidding his childhood friend goodbye, Yao rushed out to the Old Civic and cruised away, his mind set on Kiku's advice. He knew Yong Soo would be disappointed at the stall in speaking with the mourning couple, but it was important that the crime scene was thoroughly investigated.

He parked at the theatre, since he intended to come back there, and hurried across the road back to the coffee shop. He had called Yong Soo, who had breezily answered with: "I really liked that coffee shop from yesterday, so I'm there again." Although agitated that the student hadn't come to meet _him_ at the theatre, Yao wasn't in the mood to argue, so instead went over to that dreaded place. He had hoped to limit contact with Mei, but if it had become an all-time favourite for his sidekick, what else could he say about it?

He saw Yong Soo standing outside the shop from across the road, but then noticed somebody standing beside him. Yao's brows furrowed to see Mei hanging idly beside the student.

 _What is she doing here?_ he thought worriedly, as he crossed the road.

"Hey, Aniki!" Yong Soo waved.

If he hadn't been meeting him, he would've walked on.

"Hello, aru," he said. "And Mei."

"Hey," the answer was short, but not aggressive.

"Hey, Aniki, are we speaking to the people today?" Yong Soo asked vaguely.

"Um, we're actually going elsewhere that's related," he pursed his lips.

"Mei, you should join us," Yong Soo suddenly said. "You like the detective stuff, right? And Aniki shouldn't mind."

Yao's gaze flitted to Mei and they locked eyes. He suddenly recalled the many adventures he'd had with the same Mei, only much younger, when she'd use her inventive mind to send him on a trail that could last days. There were times when she'd even forget the clues herself, only to have to reinvent them on the spot with her quick witted thinking. This was the same person who had kindled his love for the life of a Private Investigator.

"If she wants, she can come," he finally said, short and clipped. "But she'll have to keep quiet about it."

He was looking at Mei, but saw, out of the corner of his eyes, Yong Soo glancing rapidly between them. He had a feeling a conversation had already gone down between Yong Soo and Mei... A slight smile reached her lips and she shrugged.

"I don't see why not," she finally replied. "Do I get paid?"

"Five per cent," he offered.

She raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Really? OK."

He wondered if that was smart; would she really have done it for free? He quietly cursed himself.

"Where are we going, then, Detective?" she asked, putting her hands in her pockets, the wind ruffling her hair.

After all these years, and the clocks still seemed to go back.

"The music theatre," he replied. "A.k.a.: the crime scene."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Asiangers Assemble! I feel this was a character chapter, so sorry for the brief pause on the crime, guys. There's plenty of time for Edelstein's case, which should come to light on Tuesday! Thank you for all your support and until next time!_

 _Yao Wang:_ China  
 _Yong Soo Im:_ Korea  
 _Mei Xiao:_ Taiwan  
 _Lei Siu Chun:_ Hong Kong  
 _Lien Chung:_ Vietnam  
 _Kiku Honda:_ Japan  
 _"Chief Arsehole":_ England  
 _Roderich Edelstein:_ Austria  
 _Elizabeta Hédeváry:_ Hungary

P.S. Concerning names, I probably won't keep repeating them after the next chapter (the 5th chapter). I think most people know the nations' human names (it was just me who didn't for a very long time), and I'll only put names down for new characters following the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _"As I'm finishing my exams on Tuesday, I'll post another chapter." Yeah, I'm sorry. I really am bad at sticking to my word, so the extra chapter can come today instead! I really hope you enjoy it, and I've finished my exams now, which means I have no more obligations towards school for the rest of the summer! Enjoy the chapter and have a good week everyone!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

After being a pair for so long, Yao suddenly found it weird to have become a trio. Mei walked quietly and thoughtfully beside Yong Soo. She appeared to be in distant thought. Yao drew his eyes away from her. He wondered how long this alliance would last until blood was spilled; and he _knew_ that the peace couldn't last forever.

There were less officers standing around the theatre compared to yesterday, and the Chief Officer Arsehole wasn't hanging around outside. Perhaps he was pestering Lei at the station about the video footage? Yao was just glad that, for once, he wouldn't be the subject of the Chief policeman's harassment. Swiftly flashing his ID to the officers, he was granted entrance, ducking hastily underneath the yellow tape. He technically had _two_ sidekicks now, which meant he'd have to do even _less_ running around. Looking at Mei's heels changed his mind. He doubted she'd do any of the running, and he also doubted she'd be the one performing grunt work. She wasn't as... naively gullible as Yong Soo.

The lobby was as untouched as it had been yesterday, and there were no more officers posted nearby. The sudden reduction in staff only brought more questions to Yao's mind. Cautiously, he opened the doors to the opera room and saw the Chief Officer on the stage, giving orders to his people.

"Excuse me," he called over. "What's going on?"

Officer Kirkland turned and forced a smile on his face at the very sight of Yao standing there with his crew. "This is a public building. It's only natural that we should eventually clear the scene away. It's been three days. You've had plenty of time to look around. Besides, the _police_ have all the evidence stored away in our archives to assess."

"I'm not bribing my way into the files with your authorities," he stormed up the stairs to come face to face with the Chief Policeman.

"I wouldn't allow you to bribe your way into a sewer," Kirkland glowered.

Yao hated his meagre stature of five feet seven. It meant even Arthur Kirkland, who stood an average height of five nine, could use build in a method to threaten and intimidate. However, he stood his ground, determined to have free reign in the opera house until the very last minute.

"I'm looking around, Kirkland, so step aside," he growled.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother…" Mei's gentle tone rang out softly behind them, and Yao turned to see her having approached, an almost timid expression on her face. "But, um… I hate to interrupt the work of a good gentleman doing his duties, Officer, but we shouldn't take _too_ long. Just a last minute sweep of the area and then we'll be gone."

"G-gentleman?" Officer Kirkland blinked, then smiled proudly of himself. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt too much to let you look around. You have ID, after all."

That last part had been directed to Yao.

"Um, Sir?" a puzzled policeman stood with the piano stool in his hands.

"Put _that_ down," Kirkland hissed. "Detective Wang and his," he glanced at Mei. "… _team_ … would like to take a look around."

"Yes, Sir," the piano stool was put aside as the police squad scattered across the stage, avoiding the direct scene of crime.

"Thank you," Mei displayed the sweetest of faces.

"You're welcome," Kirkland nodded as he breezed past. "After all…a… _gentleman_ such as myself would never deny a lady such a simple request. Good luck with your search and take as much time as you need."

He walked off, Yao and Yong Soo following him with their gazes. It was like a switch had been flipped and Arthur Kirkland had become a _contained_ self-satisfied git rather than an open one.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" they both looked to see her giving them an incredulous look. "Just because he said we had all the time in the world doesn't mean he's going to let us stay the night."

Yao saw the sudden uncertainty in Yong Soo's eyes as Mei revealed her true self in one wicked twist. He rolled his eyes and approached the piano, which hadn't been touched. Crouching beside it, the bow was still in place, yet still had its strings attached. It seemed something else had been sacrificed to make the piano stand.

"What is it, Aniki?" Yong Soo crouched beside him.

"I actually see something, aru," Yao placed a flat palm to the floor and ran it along boards that were uneven.

His searching fingers found a latch and he fumbled with it for a moment. With great effort, he swung open a strange trap door that led down into darkness.

"What is this?" Yong Soo spoke his thoughts.

"I don't know, but…" Yao tried to squeeze under the piano. "I _just_ don't fit. If I was a little smaller then, maybe, but…"

The pair of them turned their heads to look at Mei, who was busy investigating the piano. She was barely tall enough to climb on top of the grand instrument, and that was even with heels on.

"It would be asking too much of her on her first job," Yao murmured to his assistant. "Let's see if we can move the piano…"

"But it might collapse again, and that would be even more trouble to move," Yong Soo bit his lip as he looked at the weak, broken leg.

"That's true, aru," he groaned, then stood. "Mei, if you do a favour for me, I can treat you to some ramen for dinner?"

This was an extremely rare occasion. Even growing up, Yao had always been careful with money (although perhaps not as careful as he should've been), and that had only intensified when he had to start thinking about rent and keeping himself with a roof. The last thing he wanted to be doing was buying extra meals for people, so this truly was a once in a year opportunity. Yao didn't want to make a habit of it.

"You? Treat _me_?" she laughed. "You must be desperate. What do you want?"

She walked over and he crouched beside the piano again. He could see Kirkland and another officer glancing over at them by now, noting their strange behaviour. Mei assessed the trap door carefully and a frown slowly formed on her face.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked cautiously.

"Could you go down there?" Yao asked, wincing, and silently praying she would agree to it.

"Down… there?" anxiety formed on her face as her eyes traced the pitch black little square. "Where does it lead?"

"You'll find out for free ramen!" Yao beamed. "C'mon, Mei. We need to investigate this place to the best of our abilities, aru. We need to see what's down there, but me and Yong obviously won't fit underneath the piano – we're too _big_."

"Why not just move it?" she asked.

"One of the legs is broken," Yong tapped it and received a glower from Yao, who would prefer not to have a grand piano topple over and crush him.

"Free ramen… is it worth it?" she looked sceptical.

" _Please_ , the ramen is the best in this city, I promise," he said. "Remember, you're also getting five per cent of our total profit for this?"

She drummed her fingers gently against the piano, then turned her gaze to his with a slow nod. "Fine. OK."

"Thank you so much," Yao breathed a sigh of relief – he was just glad he wouldn't have to force himself underneath.

Both he and Yong made space for her, stepping aside and keeping an eye on the police, whilst she got down on her hands and knees and began crawling underneath the piano.

"You'd think it'd be dusty underneath a piano," she commented, angling her body and sticking her legs down the passageway. "But then... I suppose a musical enthusiast such as Niklas would want every inch of his precious theatre cleaned."

"Can you see what's down there?" Yao asked hesitantly.

"Not really," she replied, just as he heard clunky boots come to a stop beside him.

Yao raised his head to see Officer Kirkland looking down at him, his thick eyebrows drawn together.

"What are you doing?" the Chief of the Police asked. "Is there _someone down there_?"

"Officer, us Investigasians are great at being flexible in our abilities," Yao smirked. "She'll be fine, aru."

"Are you still making terrible puns?" Mei groaned as Kirkland blanched, his eyes falling back down on the trapdoor. "I think I've reached the bottom."

"Is there something solid beneath your feet?" Yong Soo called down.

"Yes?" she said hesitantly, her voice distant and echoing.

"Then that's the bottom," he said pointedly.

"Thanks… kid?"

"Can you see anything, aru?" Yao asked hopefully.

"No, but there should be a light switch somewhere around-"

Something caught his eye moments before disaster struck. There was a movement under the piano, as the thinnest of strings tied to the leg tugged, the light moving across its almost invisible surface. There was a loud crack as the piano's leg snapped in half and caved downwards. Yao whipped his head back and clambered away. The floorboards suddenly sunk and the piano dropped a metre before groaning to a standstill.

In the distance he could hear noises – to be precise, Mei was saying something, but the volume and words couldn't reach his ears past the piano. It was like someone had put headphones on his ears and muffled her words alone. Dust drifted up from the stage, but landed around them. He heard the odd shafts of wood falling down to the bottom.

Yong Soo reached for the piano. "We need to help her! She's stuck down there!"

"Wait," Yao caught his wrist. "Do _not_ touch that piano, aru. If it falls because you prod it around, it could kill her. Did you get her number or anything?"

"No?" Yong Soo looked at him. "Why would I do that?"

"To keep in contact?" Yao stared at him incredulously. "Did it not occur to you that you might need to call her should the two of you separate?"

"You didn't get her number either, Aniki," Yong Soo protested. "I'm not the only one at fault here."

"I should've guessed something would go wrong with you around," Kirkland sighed, glaring at Yao. "If I'd been in my better senses, you wouldn't be here."

"Mei, can you hear me?" Yao called out and heard a muffled response. "Well, she's alive?"

* * *

Mei heard all the mutterings happening up top. She wasn't entirely sure exactly what had happened. One second, she'd been at the bottom, then something had tugged at her leg, and the entire scene went blank with a loud crash and unpleasant scraping. It seemed she would have to press on and find the light switch.

Fumbling for her phone, she turned on its flashlight, which illuminated the room in soft, yet eerie white light. There was something about these phone lights that didn't have the fiery warmth of an orange-yellow glow. She spotted the light switch almost instantly and flicked it. Nothing happened. She even waited a few moments to see if it would eventually sputter on, but it didn't. She raised her phone torch to the ceiling and saw a cut wire. It seemed the flashlight would have to make do.

She appeared to be in what looked like a little store cupboard. The floor was darkened beneath her feet. Metal racks were stocked high with little white boxes that, when Mei nosily peered inside one of them, turned out to be hundreds of little screws. It was cold and musty; it seemed heating underneath the theatre was out of the question. There were probably very few people who went down here, other than members of staff. A cardboard box in one corner was full of dusty props. The ladder she had taken down swung uselessly, still from the impact of whatever had fallen. She could only assume the piano had given way.

She heard a slightly louder, yet still muffled call from up above.

"I'm just going to go exploring," she replied. She couldn't make out the response, but what did it matter when she was going to do this anyway?

Cautiously, Mei pushed open a metal door at the back of the room into yet another cold area. This time it was a long, clinical looking hallway. In dystopian science fiction movies, or horror films, hospitals with grimy tiles and a flickering light and patchy, dusty walls were a common scene. This hallway resembled that greatly, minus the light, because all the bulbs had been completely cut from where they'd been. Some part of her doubted any theatre worker had done that. Mei's footsteps were extremely loud in this seemingly abandoned part of the musical theatre. Was it possible this was the janitor's quarters? Or perhaps a 'Staff Only' area that someone had recently cleaned? That was the strange thing about this place. The floor was mysteriously shiny as it reflected her flashlight.

A door that remained slightly ajar caught her eye. For some reason, Mei's pulse had picked up. She couldn't possibly be frightened... could she? After countless horror films, Mei believed it wasn't the scene but the _experience_ that had set her on edge. The atmosphere was so real it was almost like she was in one of those movies. She pressed her palm to the cold, stainless steel, heart thumping, and began to push the door open.

* * *

"I can't hear her anymore?" Yong Soo frowned. "Do you think she left?"

"Maybe…" Yao said. "Would it be worth trying to move the piano?"

"How about you _don't_ increase the death count?" Kirkland scowled. "I actually think you should leave, because this a case for the emergencies. For all we know, your colleague is stuck down there. Besides, I won't hesitate to arrest you if you land her either in hospital or her grave."

"Mei's made of stronger stuff than you seem to think, aru," Yao replied firmly. "She'll be able to find another way out. I say we try and get the piano down."

"I agree with Aniki!" Yong Soo chorused.

"Are you two fucking mental?" Officer Kirkland glowered. "Are you not even _slightly_ worried that this piano you're so _eager_ to move could kill one of the only people willing to work for your detective agency?"

"Mei's not even there," Yao said. "I know that because I can't hear her anymore. She never stops talking, aru."

"What if she passed out from insufficient oxygen?" the Chief Policeman folded his arms. "I'm just not in the mood to risk someone else's life. If it was you, I might allow myself to get swayed and see the piano get pushed down, but as it's an innocent citizen you've dragged into this mess with you, I can't afford to let that happen. It was my duty to clear away the crime scene and keep it untouched for a little bit, but here you are, making _my_ job _difficult_."

"Oh, I'm sorry, _Officer_ ," Yao scowled, standing to face him once more. "But my _Arumeter_ is telling me that Mei will be better off with the piano crushed and broken."

"Your… what?" Kirkland looked a little thrown.

Without further hesitation, Yao planted his foot roughly onto the piano's lid, watching it tilt dangerously – and fall. The three of them nearby the edge saw the spectacular show as the piano dropped a fall worth at least three stories high, and burst into splintered wood, broken strings, plastic casing and scattered chords and notes everywhere with a terrific noise that sounded both like bones cracking, but also a very wrong chord being played. There was also no sign of Mei as the plumes of dust rose and settled once more around what used to be the grand piano Niklas Edelstein died at.

Officer Kirkland's brows furrowed and he straightened up indignantly. "I hope you're happy. I expect you to clear that mess up."

"Not a problem for me, aru," he watched the Chief Policeman stride off stiffly, and started descending the ladder. "Come on, Yong. We need to find Mei."

* * *

Mei had just pushed open the door when the loud echo of terrible music, a several octave chord, suddenly rang down the deserted hallway. She could only assume the piano had inched further down, just that little bit more, until its eventual collapse. She was just grateful she'd chosen to look around rather than wait for the others to do something. Turning the flashlight back in the room, it appeared to be exactly the same as the previous room where she'd first come down in. Metal shelves stood in rows, a stainless steel library where you had endless numbers of screws. For some reason, this door had been ajar. If Mei had to guess, someone had been here a little more recently compared to the rest of the hallways.

She glanced behind the door, because as a child, she'd believed hiding behind doors was the best place to not be noticed. However, nothing was extraordinary there. Tracing her flashlight around the room, Mei noticed the footprints on the floor, leading up to a cardboard box. Ensuring she didn't stand on any of them, she took her own route, and opened the cardboard box with immense care. Inside were stacks of lightbulbs that hung from snipped cords, useless and yet, enough to fill an entire cardboard box. It was baffling.

She let the lid fall back in place just as a hand closed around her shoulder.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Just thought I'd leave it on that cliffhanger for you. Will Mei be OK? Find out next time!_

 _Yao Wang:_ China  
 _Yong Soo Im:_ Korea  
 _Mei Xiao:_ Taiwan  
 _Arthur Kirkland:_ England  
 _Lei Siu Chun:_ Hong Kong


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _The next chapter is out now! I had a party last night, so unfortunately couldn't make the post then, but here I am now posting with leftover pizza I've recooked in the oven from Thursday! It's delicious, by the way. Pepperoni. Speaking of food, my friends bought me the best 18th birthday presents I've ever had in my entire life. I'm not 18 quite yet, but I just had to open them once they gave them to me, because I won't be seeing them on my real birthday! They really appealed to my trashy weeb nature, and for that they truly are the best friends I could ask for._

 _I got: a Hatsune Miku key ring. She's so adorable; I can't stop picking her up to admire her! They focused on the theme of Japan, because I'm a Japanophile! So they also got me a Japanese Puzzle Box, which I think is absolutely adorable, and I've memorised how to open it now! Thirdly, they bought me a box of Sushi Noms. By God, Japanese snacks are delish! There were two little packets of chewing gum, cider flavoured gummy bottles, chocolate Pocky, lychee gummy candy, some delish build your own sushi gummy candy, a wafer with chocolate flavour filling with this little blue seal dude on the front. He's really cute. Finally, there's Hello Panda biscuits with strawberry filling and red bean paste Kitkats. I'm super excited to try all this stuff! And finally, the last gift my friend told me to open last, was a Hetalia bag! It's so cute! I died a bit inside when they gave it to me! There's 24 countries on it as follows:  
Italy, Japan, Germany, England, China and Finland - First Row  
Russia, France, America, Prussia, Romano and Belarus - Second Row  
Holy Rome, Hong Kong, Hungary, Sealand, Austria and Poland - Third Row  
Canada, Spain, Korea, Iceland, Taiwan and Denmark - Fourth Row  
I couldn't have been happier!_

 _Without further ado: the next chapter of Investigasians!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

Mei turned rapidly, her body stiff and prepared to fight, so Yao quickly held up his hands in defence.

"What was that for?" she folded her arms. "You could've at least warned me you were in the room."

"You seemed in the zone," he replied. "Didn't you hear the piano fall?"

"I guess so," she said. "I didn't realise the pair of you had come down here."

"What's this you've found?" Yao peered over her shoulder and opened the box. "Light bulbs?"

"The lights of this entire floor I'd imagine," Mei replied. "Oh, there were footsteps in the dust down here."

Yao glanced down to see the unsettled dust that had been blown away by the fast movements of Mei turning round as well as him wandering through what could've been crucial evidence.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she frowned. "I should've said something beforehand…"

"If we take a photo of what we have, then Lei might be able to depict something out amongst the various footprints," Yao explained.

Mei pointed her flashlight to the floor and he took the photos on his own phone. Perhaps he should've been a little more careful and called out to her? It was too late to regret, but Yao couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at himself anyway. He had put his guard down and they had lost crucial evidence as to what measurements a person of suspicious behaviour, very well the killer could have.

"I wonder how they cut these lights," Yong Soo pondered.

"What do you mean?" Mei asked. "With scissors?"

"If this is truly the same person who murdered Niklas Edelstein, then we deducted they didn't have scissors of any kind because the piano chords weren't cut, but torn…" Yao mused. "I guess there's a chance they found some scissors whilst down here? We'll take a look around."

Most of the doors down the corridor turned out to be locked, much to Yao's disappointment. However, another janitor's closet could be found down this depressing little corridor. He pushed open the door and found it was the only one not to be locked. Once again, the lights had been cut, but there was someone sitting in the chair. Yao felt a weariness and a coldness forming in the pit of his stomach. He approached the chair was caution, the swung it round, Yong Soo and Mei keeping their phone lights trained on them.

"Oh my…" Mei began, but never finished her sentence.

Sitting before them was the janitor. A pair of chunky metallic clippers were wedged in his gut.

The janitor's mouth was left wide open, a thin trail of blood running down his chin. Multiple stab wounds had darkened his chest to purple-red, a deep colour that almost looked black in the artificial light. There was a terrible smell in the room, probably because his bowels had loosened upon death and he was soiled. His skin had a weathered, papery look to it. He hadn't died in the last twenty-four hours, that was for sure.

"Does this knock our janitor theory?" Yong Soo asked hesitantly, his voice showing an obvious shake to it.

Yao turned to see how his colleagues were doing. Neither of them had seen Niklas Edelstein's body, which was probably for the best. Yong Soo had paled considerably, but seemed unable to lift his gaze from the corpse before him. He was only sixteen, and yet, Yao thought he was taking it surprisingly well. As for Mei, there wasn't particularly much about her. She hadn't said anything since the discovery of the corpse, she seemed pallid, and there was a vacancy in her eyes that worried him.

"Mei?" he asked.

"Sorry," she mumbled, raising a hand to her mouth and dashing out the room.

He shared a glance with Yong Soo, who gestured down the corridor. Assuming he meant follow, Yao shook his head. If Mei wasn't feeling well, she probably needed some time to think things through. Meanwhile, they had a body to look at.

"Shine a light on him, could you?" Yao said, raising his phone to his ear. "I need to call Lien and get her over here to identify the body. And to bring some face masks…"

He wandered out of the room, making a quick call, and glanced down either side. There was no sight of Mei, which began to concern him slightly. The right thing to have done would be to rush back out to the police. He hoped Mei had done that, but he couldn't say she had.

"Yao?" Lien answered.

"We have another body I need you to identify, Lien," he said. "Could you come to the music theatre quick? The authorities will point you in the right direction. Bring some face masks."

"Got it," she disconnected the call.

"This is real, then?"

He turned to see Mei leaning against the wall of the corridor, her arms tightly wrapped around her waist. The vacant expression had left her face, instead to be replaced by something else he couldn't quite define. She looked tired, yet at the same time, there was an alertness to her.

"I… yes, it is, aru," he said.

"Remember when we were kids and I would just say someone was dead?" she murmured.

"I do," he replied awkwardly. "If you want to drop out, you always can."

"No," there was sudden strength to her words. "No, I can't. Not after seeing that."

"Huh?"

"That man was _dead_ , Yao," she said, determination appeared in her face. "His life has been taken from him, and whilst it was easy for me to say it when I was little, that was a pretend world. This is a real one, and I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Mei?" he blinked.

"I want to help," she said. "I want to help as much as I can. I know I may not have made such a great impression so far, but I want to know what's happened here. I want to find out who killed this man, and Niklas Edelstein, and I want justice. I want to make this world a better place."

Her face expression was fierce, something he hadn't seen in her eyes before.

"You don't have an option to shut me out, by the way," she walked back towards the room. "If you try to, I'll keep intruding on your investigation, and you'll _have_ to include me."

"OK, aru," he said. "I've called our body inspector extraordinaire, Lien. She's perfectly nice; she was sitting with us in the café the other day."

She nodded, swallowing and peering back into the room.

"Hey, you two," Yong Soo turned around to look at them. "I… the janitor's bucket here has been used…"

Yao wasn't sure what he meant by that, but he entered the room once more, bringing a hand up to his face. He could hear Mei follow him into the room. He looked into the bucket that still had its mop dipped inside, and the broom leaning against the wall behind it. There was still liquid frothed with bubbles inside the bucket. Mei held her light directly over, revealing the water was pinkish in colour.

"That's…?" she frowned.

"It was probably used to clean his blood away," Yao said. "Although, they seemed to be in more of a hurry this time. They cleaned the late Mr Edelstein's blood away, or tried to, yet, they didn't even put the equipment here away."

"Unless it was used for both?" Yong Soo suggested.

"That's true," Yao said. "I think we'll need Lien to take a sample of this mixture just be sure. Also, it might help to know where these clippers came from."

It didn't take Lien long to arrive on the scene. She was followed closely by Officer Kirkland, who wore a strange expression on his face.

"Another body?" he exclaimed upon seeing him. "And it's the _janitor_?"

"That's right," Yao said. "I bet you're glad we came along now, otherwise this wouldn't have been found until weeks later. By then, it would've been too late."

"Shut up, wanker," Kirkland scowled. "We'll have to uphold the tape a little longer, it would seem, as well as alert both Roderich Edelstein and Elizabeta Hédeváry to this man's death."

"It's OK," Yao said. "We planned to speak with them. I can tell them that."

"As a gentleman of professional authority, I will alert them, thank you very much," Kirkland said smugly. "It's one of my duties as _Chief of the Police_ , rather than some Private Investigator whose span doesn't progress beyond the city. It's better if the police warn those in mourning of what may be coming up next."

"And what's that?" Yao asked bitterly.

"You," Kirkland raised a speaker to his mouth and walked out the room, barking orders to his subordinates.

Lien wordlessly handed out masks to each person standing in the room. She paused before Mei, sending a look in Yao's direction, but allowed her to take it nonetheless. He could sense being talked to when Mei wasn't within hearing distance.

"So, this is the janitor?" Lien said, strapping the mask to her face, dark eyes focused on the corpse.

"That's right," Yao said awkwardly.

"He's been here at least two days," she summed up. "You can see by the texture of his skin. The cold air has reduced the rate of decomposition, and his skin has taken on a different complexion. He's been dried out like meat in a cooler."

Yao watched Mei swallow out of the corner of his eye, but she held her ground firmly and remained standing in the room.

"He's taken multiple stab wounds in the chest and abdomen," she deduced. "With these clippers that have been left inside."

Yao watched as she snapped on gloves and removed the clippers with care, resting them in a plastic bag and taking a snapshot.

"Cause of death appears to be bleeding," she confirmed. "There's no immediate wounds on his body to suggest anything else."

"Was he killed in this room?" Yong Soo asked.

"There's a lot of blood on the chair, but nowhere else," she said. "I'd say no. Blood spatters if you stab someone this many times, and this desk certainly hasn't been cleaned in quite a few days – more than two."

"What about the corridors?" Mei suddenly asked. "They were really clean…"

"I think the killer cleaned the blood away," Yong Soo said. "There's still a mop there."

"Ah, yes," Yao said. "We need to confirm if this was used to clean away both the janitor's _and_ Niklas Edelstein's blood."

"I'll take a sample," she approached the bucket, lifting a new test tube and syringe.

"Who would you say was killed first?" Yao asked. "Niklas Edelstein, or this man?"

"His name is William James," Mei said. "According to his label."

"I'd say Edelstein, then James," Lien said. "This scene is very rushed. It also indicates that Niklas Edelstein's death occurred roughly within the time the janitor's shift began. We need to find out his working hours. Speak to Roderich Edelstein and Elizabeta Hédeváry about him."

"We will," Yao said. "If we can determine a time of death, then we can finally start working out alibis."

"That's great, Aniki!" Yong Soo beamed. "We're finally getting somewhere."

"Yao, I need to have a word with you," Lien murmured, eyes downcast.

"Alright," he headed out the room and she followed him halfway down the corridor, before turning to face her.

"Why did you get her involved?" Lien asked. "She's an ordinary citizen-"

"Mei's good at this stuff," Yao shrugged. "She knows what to do and she knows she can always get out when she wants."

"You had better make sure this doesn't have consequences for her," Lien warned. "Because I doubt you've said work like this can become dangerous."

"She made it very clear that she wanted to stay," Yao reflected on the determination in her eyes that had come out of nowhere. "She's an adult, you know? She can make her own decisions."

Lien nodded with a sigh, then hurried back towards the room. Rocking backwards and forth on his feet, Yao only moved when he heard the distant footsteps of Kirkland's squad arriving. His three colleagues were gathered round the crime scene, quietly discussing what was happening.

Yao met Lien's gaze, but neither of them said a word or indicated that anything malicious had transpired between them.

"I'll need to analyse everything I've found here," she said, gesturing to the body and the bucket. "I believe that's all I need to look at."

"Lei reported back to me on the photos," Yao said. "I think you need to take a look at Niklas Edelstein's body again. He saw a mark on his shirt."

"A mark?" she seemed surprised. "Very well. I've finished with the analysis of the first crime scene, but I'll get back to you about that tomorrow once I've had a look at Edelstein's corpse."

"OK," Yao turned to Yong Soo and Mei. "I think we should look around this floor a little closer. I don't understand why the killer would go down here in the first place… After all, we theorised that Niklas Edelstein was attacked from behind. Why not just leave through the front door after that?"

"Perhaps they needed a more secure method of escape?" Mei suggested. "I haven't seen any security cameras down here."

"There were some in the storage rooms," Yong Soo said. "But not in this corridor."

"I think we really need Lei's assessment on the camera footage before we do anything else…" Yao admitted. "For now, let's see if there's a flight of stairs down here or something."

Lien left to start analysis on the new evidence, but handed over the clippers, whilst Yao and his team proceeded down the hallway. The authorities flooded into the room of the second crime scene. Yao stopped at the end of the hallway. To his right was a staircase, but a ladder right before him led up to some kind of trap door. He climbed up and pushed up to open it to the outside world.

"Ladies first," he heard Yong Soo offer.

"What, in this skirt?" Mei scowled. "I don't think so."

It was Yong Soo who came up next. They were standing outside the back of the theatre. The sky had suddenly darkened once more. Yao truly began to question where the time had gone.

"These are supposed to be locked," he said. "So why aren't they?"

"I don't know, but the lock's not there," Mei commented as she climbed out.

Yao crouched beside the open doors and closed them, only to open them again. The metal was dented and bent where a lock should've been, almost smouldered.

"This has been shot," he said. "Search for a bullet. It seems to have passed right through."

They spent the next ten minutes or so blindly searching along the ground. However, there was no sign of whatever bullet may have been left behind. Wherever it was, it was either lost to the world, or the killer had taken the evidence with them.

"If they had a firearm, why not just use it on both Edelstein and James?" Yong Soo's brow furrowed.

"Perhaps they didn't want to risk the bullet getting stuck in one of the corpses?" Yao gazed forlornly around the concrete backyard of the theatre.

"What?"

"If we had a bullet, we could determine what kind of gun they used…" Yao sighed. "As it happens, they've thought about this. Which is odd. The degree of whether they're in a rush or not seems confused, and some of their actions are unprofessional, whilst others have been given great thought and planning."

"Not necessarily," Mei frowned. "Yes, the trap with the piano was well thought out in theory, but it _didn't work_."

"Eh?" Yao blinked.

"Why would you make a piano block an entrance that had another way out?" she gestured around. "Whoever found that was meant to die. Some kind of sinister warning only meant for those witty enough to figure out there was something underneath the piano."

Yong Soo swallowed. "You could've died."

"I didn't though," she said. "And as for this? Taking the bullet out of the crime scene to hide the type of gun is something an avid firearms user would know. Whoever did this, they were wary about using guns, and it's probably because they know a lot about them."

"You think?" Yong Soo glanced at her.

"I would guess so," Mei shrugged. "That's only if we were unable to find the bullet and based on the assumption that we haven't missed it anywhere."

"We've thoroughly searched this entire strip of land," Yao insisted. "There aren't even any _stones_ in this place."

"That's why I reckon they know their guns," Mei said.

"I think we're done for now," Yao gazed around. "There's very little left to do here."

"What leads do we have, Aniki?" Yong Soo asked.

"Our newest leads are tracking down the gun, as well as the janitor's timetable," Yao explained. "That involves speaking with Roderich Edelstein. Now that the janitor's out of the picture, there's a high chance once again that Niklas's son could be involved."

"He was a suspect?" Mei blinked.

"Anyone can be a suspect," Yao answered. "How about that ramen I promised you, then?"

"Great," she said.

"What if Edelstein murdered his _own_ father?" Yong Soo's eyes had grown to the size of saucers.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Yao replied. "Family usually are involved. However, we can't jump to conclusions without solid evidence. As far as we're concerned, Roderich Edelstein is innocent."

The three of them climbed into the car.

"So, what are we doing tomorrow, Aniki?" Yong Soo asked.

"We'll meet at five like we did yesterday, except come to the ramen place we're currently heading to," Yao said. "Lei should have something by then. If not, we needn't worry. Lien said she'd tell us what she found in the first crime. That'll be later in the day, because she works. What we can do before then if Lei doesn't have anything is speak with Roderich Edelstein about the janitor and his father. I think it would also be worth speaking with Elizabeta Hédeváry about Niklas as well."

"What, is she a suspect now?" Yong Soo's eyes widened.

"Anyone can be a suspect," he repeated, as they piled into the car, Mei in the passenger seat.

"Um," Yong Soo pursed his lips.

"I'm not going in the back," she glowered. "Kids do that."

"Kids argue about where they're going to sit," Yao rolled his eyes. "Stop complaining, Yong, and just sit in the back."

"I'm beginning to regret inviting you into Aniki's profession," he climbed into the back, but his vicious stare could be seen in the rear view mirror.

"Regret won't get you anywhere," she replied as the car took off and joined the thrum of traffic.

The sudden darkness in the sky made Yao wonder how he'd ever expected to move on to interrogating the couple-to-be that day. Crime scenes always took considerable time to investigate. He was sure both Edelstein and Hédeváry would be waiting for some kind of questioning soon, since Officer Kirkland had definitely contacted them about the janitor's death at that point. The city sky was as starless as it had been the night the Target had blissfully escaped. There were thick clouds in the sky, completely obscuring the moon from view except for its pale glow from behind the murky surface of the hovering grey candyfloss. The brightest things surrounding them in their car in the city were the beacons and banners that called for all attention.

It didn't take long to get to the Honda ramen shop. Yao carefully parked the Old Civic in its rightful spot beside the Land Rover Mr Honda loved so much. He saw the greedy look in Yong Soo's eyes and the curiosity in Mei's as the pair of them assessed the ramen shop. It was only nine; Kiku and his parents would still be working another two hours before the day's shift came to an end.

Stepping out the car with his crew, he locked it and approached the ramen shop. He opened the chipped, wooden door, the creak of its hinges and the chime of a bell the clarity that alerted his high school friend of their presence.

Kiku turned with the ramen sizzling, dark eyes wide, but his expression relaxed when he saw it was Yao rather than any other customer.

"Have a seat," he gestured to the bar and the three of them seated themselves. "How was work today?"

"Interesting," Yao said. "The plot thickened, because the janitor's out of the picture – if you get me."

"Right," Kiku said, spooning the ramen into bowls. "But it's going well, right?"

"Oh, yeah, aru," Yao watched as Kiku served his customers. "I'll have my usual pork ramen."

"I'll have the full," Yong Soo beamed.

"I'd like the chicken ramen, thank you," Mei smiled.

"Oh, are you new to Yao's team?" Kiku looked surprised to see a new face. "I don't think we've met… I'm Kiku Honda; I went to school with Yao."

"It's nice to meet you," Mei shook his hand with a pleasant look on her face. "I lived on the same neighbourhood as him but, yes, I've joined his agency. I'm like a part time member."

"Ah, of course," Kiku smiled. "Three ramens coming right up."

He turned away, but Yao noticed the slightly glazed look to Mei's eyes. She had leant forward and seemed to be noting all of Kiku's movements. That continued throughout the meal, where she appeared to hang upon every word he said. Kiku and Mei had never met once, despite being closely linked to Yao. As she never spoke to him during school, he had never felt the need to notice her, or introduce her to Kiku. With the look on her face, Yao could almost say that Mei had taken an interest to Kiku…

"Do you need me to give you a lift?" he offered her once they'd finished their ramen – somehow, he'd ended up paying for Yong's as well.

"I saw there was a train station nearby," she held up a card in her hand. "I'll use that to get home."

"Are you sure?" Yao asked. "It's late."

"It's fine," she insisted, standing. "Thanks for the ramen. It was delicious."

"No problem," both Kiku and Yao murmured.

"Can you give me a lift home, Aniki?" Yong Soo asked.

"It's late, so call your mother and tell her you're on your way home," Yao said. "I don't want her telling that arsehole Kirkland that I kidnapped you or something bizarre like that."

"OK, Aniki," Yong Soo chimed.

"I'll be here at five tomorrow," Mei promised once they were outside, and then she was gone, heading towards the station.

"Come on," Yao unlocked the car and hopped in. "Let's get you home."

"Sure thing," his sidekick recaptured his rightful seat with a smug expression on his face.

They had a lot of work ahead of them, but Yao was confident that they'd be able track down the killer of Niklas Edelstein.

* * *

 **A/N:** _That's all for this week, I'm afraid. Thank you for reading Investigasians, and until next time!_


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Wow, sorry for the late post! I've had a busy three days. I know it's big in America, but we've also got prom in England, too, and that was on the 1st of July for me, on Canada's birthday- so happy belated birthday Canada. The next day my friend and I went to see none other than Florence and the Machine. She was amazing, and absolutely one of the most talented singers I've ever seen. Her voice is amazing, and so similar to the recorded music. As for yesterday, I spent it with friends as I probably won't see a lot of them throughout the summer!_

 _So, today I finally post the next chapter of Investigasians on America's birthday! Happy Independence Day, America- I will be celebrating with pizza and Prosecco. Without further ado, enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

It was at five in the afternoon that Yao met with the other two. It was suddenly colder than it had been, the city seeming to have seen a drop of three degrees at least over the night. It had been unfortunate that Yao had been the first person there, as he'd been left standing miserably in the cold for around ten minutes before Yong Soo and Mei arrived. Today was the day they'd confront the mourning couple; it was the third day of the case and they'd already shown significant progress. All he needed was Lei and Lien to get back to him about their assigned duties.

Once he had his team, he swiftly assembled with everyone in the back room. The Investigasians were now all reunited, and Mei was their new member. After pleasant introductions between her with Lei and Kasam, Yao was confident they'd be able to make an efficient team.

"So, what are the results?" he asked them all.

"I still need more time to assess the security footage," Lei said, putting a hand to his chin. "Some of the cameras were damaged whilst filming, and others switched off; I just need to scour through the files that might actually reveal _something_."

"Alright, so I shouldn't expect to see the footage today?" Yao checked.

Lei shook his head with a frown. "Not yet."

"In that case, I'll keep you a little busy," he said. "I'd like to inform you all that we discovered the janitor's corpse yesterday."

He watched as Lei's eyes widened. "What?"

"Precisely," he said, but held his phone out to Lei. "I took photos of the crime scene I'd like you to analyse and view."

"Right," Lei plugged his phone into the main computer where his digital searches and duties were carried out – Yao believed the laptop was for leisure time. "If I just…"

Yao watched the screen light up before he laid eyes on Lien, awaiting her answer.

"I have the research conducted from crime scene number one," she explained. "Also, I have some data on the corpse of Niklas Edelstein. I still have yet to come up with the analysis of crime scene two, but if you give me some time, I think I can get that done for you today."

"Excellent," he smiled, pleased by the fast results. "I, Yong Soo and Mei were headed towards Edelstein's house to speak with him and his fiancée. Since we're all busy, we may as well go to do our own things. Lien, we'll be back later to hear what you've pieced together."

She nodded, turning towards her forensics desk, angling her desk lamp towards her work. Lei handed the phone back to him, documenting the photos of the second crime scene onto his computer forever. It was time to set off and perform the duty they'd needed to do since the beginning: talk to the client.

"Roll out," Yao said to the other two, and they set off.

"Good luck," Kasam called after them as he seated himself at his desk once more.

It was still bitingly cold when Yao stepped outside. He was met with a gust of wind buffeting him in the face, and the unpleasant feeling of it creeping down the back of his coat. He pulled it tighter to his body and approached the Old Civic. He swung into the driver's seat, just as Mei held her position in the passenger one. It seemed that Yong Soo probably wouldn't be getting his sidekick's seat back with Mei around. Yao knew Mei would treat him like an idiot if he brought it up as well.

Without hearing or receiving any complaints from his team, Yao set off towards the beautiful house just outside the city. It was an hour's long drive. Usually, he and Yong Soo wouldn't have a problem – his sidekick would entertain himself. However, Mei had a terrible habit of switching between two stations that played the hit music songs. She would suddenly turn station if the adverts began, or if a song she disliked started. It was slightly annoying, but it was the only thing that kept her entertained, if a song she liked was beating around in the background.

The hour's drive passed by much sooner than Yao had expected, especially when the tall buildings around them collapsed into rolling fields. He arrived at Roderich's impressive house outside the city.

Calling it a "house" seemed an understatement. It was more of a stately manor, hidden and secluded by a fence of trees and low cut hedges. Fourteen windows at the front of the house overlooked a fountain surrounded by small hedges, and lines of pear trees led up to the front door itself. Yao jerked the Old Civic to stop just inches from the fountain. The parking was spacious at the manor, and the flashy black Rolls-Royce Phantom didn't have any trouble sharing the concrete surface, with its delicate rectangle shapes cut into it, like bricks. Yao knew the car was a Phantom, because it was his dream car.

"That's a _nice_ ride," Yong Soo gawked.

"Your dad has a Mercedes," Yao glowered. "Don't complain."

"I-I wasn't, Aniki," the young man grimaced. "I was just… looking."

"Well, if their car is here, it means they're home," Mei got out the car. "They've probably been alerted to our arrival."

"That's true," Yao said. "They even have a BMW. That's nice…"

"Those two cars put together probably cost more than my lifestyle," Mei sighed.

"My lifestyle is around eighty-five quid a month," Yao chuckled. "I am a very lucky man in that sense."

She rolled her eyes and followed him up the stairs that led up to the front door. It was painted black, and made a solid, rich sound when Yao dropped the golden knocker with its wolf's head down three times. He could hear it echo expensively on the other side. The house was big enough to fit a small audience, he was sure. He had dreams to live this lifestyle in the future, but for now, he was sharing a room with his best friend from high school and his car was an Old Honda Civic. He felt he had a long way to go.

There was a pause, and then the door opened to reveal a butler in expensive attire, an empty tray held in his hand. He was an aged man, with ice blue eyes and a clean shaved face. He had little hair left, but what he did have he'd kept trimmed and brushed back.

"Hello?" he asked, slightly agitated to see three random strangers at the door.

"Hi," Yao held up his ID. "I'm Detective Wang. I was hired by Roderich Edelstein on the case of his father's murder. Is he in at the moment?"

The butler glanced into the house before dragging his gaze back to the three of them. "He is indeed."

"May we… speak with him?" Yao asked.

"Of course," the butler allowed the three of them into the house. "However, he's currently-"

"Ah, don't mind me," a strong, bold voice chimed. "I'm just passing through."

Yao turned his head to see a man possibly in his late forties or early fifties. He had golden blonde hair and green eyes that were dark and minty. A wide smile with very white teeth was stretched across his face, which crinkled the corners of his eyes. He was a man who had aged well, because although he looked older, he didn't look worn or weathered. He was clothed in an expensive suit, his shoes polished so much they shone in the chandelier light. A silvery watch hung from his wrist and held the keys to a BMW in hand.

"Oh, hello there," he said.

"Hi," Yao said politely.

"Giuliano Zwingli," he held out his hand, a ring shining on his index finger.

"Yao Wang," returning the shake, Yao also offered a smile.

"I was just paying my condolences," Giuliano glanced over his shoulder with a morbid shake of his head. "What a terrible thing to have happened… Niklas and I… We'd come to know one another after the many years."

Although he was offering perfectly pleasant conversation, the butler was boring into the back of his head with a gaze Yao could only describe to be pure malice. Yao had heard of the name Zwingli just as he had heard the name Edelstein. He had been sure that the two families had been musical geniuses, rivals throughout history, but if the two men had patched up their family conflicts in their generation, Yao wasn't going to be the one to complain about it. Giuliano Zwingli was also famed for his golfing reputation and had received many medals over the years. He was well known across the city.

"I must be off," Zwingli smiled, slipping past Yao and Yong Soo as he headed towards the door. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," the butler replied stonily, as Yao lifted a hand, and watched the door swing shut behind him.

"I should've gotten an autograph," Yong Soo sighed. "My dad _loves_ golf. Especially Zwingli."

"This way, then," the butler gestured further into the house, his earlier expression replaced with the same cool indifference as before. Yao could only wonder about that as he followed the man into the living room where both Roderich and Elizabeta were.

"Is this a good time?" Yao asked as the butler left the room, closing the door behind him.

"We've just had a visitor but, ja," Roderich replied, breathing in deep. "I suppose you met him on your way in?"

"Giuliano Zwingli?" Yao nodded. "Yeah, I thought-"

"Detestable man," Roderich took a sip from his china teacup. "My father reviled him as much as I do…"

The comment surprised Yao. It conflicted entirely with what Giuliano had just said, as well as Elizabeta's first comment about Niklas Edelstein not having enemies.

"Please, do take a seat," Roderich gestured to the sofa across from him and his fiancée. "Earnest will be bringing tea for you as well."

Yao thanked him as he dropped down into the sofa. It was comfier than his bed, but he couldn't blame Kiku and his parents for that. There was something about the extremely wealthy that made them applicable for this kind of heavenly lifestyle. It wasn't just the money. You could have money and no taste. Their ability to decorate these manors in an established and sophisticated way was what impressed Yao the most. The selection of fashionable furniture with the highest comfort level showed careful, selective spending, another thing Yao could appreciate. From what he'd seen, he liked Roderich's financial eye.

"So, what brings you here?" Roderich asked.

"Just to ask a few questions," Yao said. "First off, did your father have any enemies?"

He saw Elizabeta cast him a suspicious glance. Although Roderich had been in the room when he'd first asked the question, the Young Master had barely been in the same room. His mind had been in a completely different place.

"Well, I wouldn't say my father was _enemies_ with Giuliano," Roderich pondered. "But they've never liked it each other. To say they were enemies is an overstatement, and to say they disliked one another was an understatement. The Zwingli family has always rivalled us Edelsteins, because Giuliano was a musician and a performer, just like my father was."

"Thank you," he jotted that down in his handy notebook, Elizabeta's gaze falling on each of his movements. "I just want to ask what kind of person Niklas Edelstein was."

The question was directed to both the Young Master and his fiancée.

"What kind of person?" Roderich seemed thrown by the question. "Well…"

"He was very much like Roderich," Elizabeta answered.

"Would you say he was a perfectionist?" Yao asked.

"A perfectionist?" Roderich licked his lips in thought. "Ja. He liked everything to be in order. Very much like… well… _me_."

"Would you say your father was personable?" Yao asked. "As in, was he charismatic amongst those he knew well?"

"Not really," Roderich admitted. "Well, not at all. My father was a very proud man. If he saw someone as inferior, he would treat them that way. He was very old fashioned like that. I…" he sighed. "I think maybe his personality didn't put him in favour with many people."

"Do you say that with anyone in mind?" Yao asked, picking up on the uncertainty hidden beneath the Young Master's voice.

"Well, ja," Roderich shifted in his seat as Earnest placed delicate cups and saucers before Yao and his team. The dark liquid swirled in its cup, but a small milk jug and a bowl of brown and white sugar cubes were also provided. "Staff in general. There were times when he would come to blows with them…"

"I'm sure Officer Kirkland has told you about William James," Yao frowned.

"He did indeed," Roderich sighed. "It was such a shame. He was such a pleasant man, but was there at the wrong time…"

"I need to know," Yao tapped his notebook with his pen. "What hours did James work?"

"His work hours were from ten at night to two in the morning," Roderich said. "It's a big theatre."

"I see," Yao noted that down.

"We were told the janitor found Niklas Edelstein's body in the morning, around seven," Yong Soo frowned. "But the janitor was dead?"

"Oh, James was on night shift," Roderich seemed surprised. "There's another janitor who works the day shift."

"There are _two_ janitors?" Yao's pen hovered over the notebook.

"Ja," Roderich's cup hovered inches from his lips as he assessed Yao and his team. "Why?"

"I didn't realise," Yao lied, wondering if their janitor theory could be rekindled, only with a different man. "Do you have any details on this other janitor?"

"He's an employee at the theatre, so… ja," Roderich placed his cup on the table. "I'll go grab his file now."

He stood and left the room, leaving Elizabeta alone with the Investigasians. She held her cup tightly in her hands and stared after the door Roderich had disappeared behind. Her jaw was oddly set. She seemed upset about something, but Yao doubted him asking Roderich the same question would offend her that much, would it?

"That's a nice gun, there," Yong Soo broke the silence, nodding to a pistol in a glass frame behind them.

Elizabeta turned in her seat to look at it. "Yes. It's been in Roderich's family for some years now."

"Does he use it?" Yong Soo asked, and received a bemused stare from her. "I mean for target practice, Ma'am. My father did that, and I had lessons from him once or twice one summer…"

"Ah, I think hunting rifles are mainly used for that sort of thing," she smiled kindly. "But, no. Roderich hasn't had a single interest in it since he received it on his eighteenth birthday. Like his father, and his grandfather, he merely has the gun for ornamental purposes."

"He has a good eye," Yao commented.

"I don't know my guns well, but he had it framed to prevent it getting dusty," she explained. "I think it was a good idea, but it does give him a reputation with guns that he just doesn't have when new guests look around the house."

Yao refrained from writing anything down. Although he would've liked to see if the glass case had been recently opened, he felt Elizabeta would find it strange. Perhaps this was the very same gun used to blow open the back doors. He shared a brief, subtle glance with Yong Soo.

"This whole house is extremely nice, if I'm honest with you," Yong Soo continued, gazing around the room.

"Oh, thank you," she seemed surprised. "Would you… like to take a look around?"

"We would love to," Mei beamed, looking around in awe.

"Yeah, sounds good," Yong Soo stood.

"I think I'll wait for Mr Edelstein to get back," Yao nodded. "But thank you, aru."

He watched the three of them of the wander out of the room. He waited until he was sure they weren't nearby when he dashed towards the gun and peered at the frame. Its polished surface indicated it had seen a recent clean. With a furrowed brow, he reached back behind the piece to feel for dust. His hand came away spotless.

"Hello," he turned to see Roderich standing in the doorway. "Is everything OK?"

"I was just looking at this gun," Yao nodded towards it. "Is it new?"

"Nein, my family have owned it since my great-great-great grandfather," Roderich said. "It's very old."

"Wow," Yao mused. "It looks very new."

"I polished it the other day," Roderich replied. "My father loved it as an ornament. He gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday. He wasn't much of a hunter or gun enthusiast as older members of our family were, but he loved the look of it. Here's the file you wanted."

Yao took the yellow folder Roderich held out towards him. It was labelled 'Employees'.

"The man you're looking for is Gilbert Beilschmidt," Roderich instructed. "That file has his details. I haven't actually contacted him since he found the body, but as far as I'm concerned he was going to recover from the shock. I didn't feel the need to contact him and with another death having been discovered, the theatre still hasn't opened for employees to continue their work. In other words, I haven't seen or heard from him since Saturday."

"I see," Yao nodded.

"If you'd like, you can hold onto that file during the case," Roderich offered. "It might be easier if you have the details to refer to whenever."

"Thanks, aru," Yao tucked it under his arm. "I think I will. Do you want it back after the case is closed?"

"That depends," Roderich sent him a knowing smile, although it was strained. "May I ask where everyone else is?"

"Looking around the house," Yao said.

"Then I need to ask something," Roderich closed the door to the living room and lowered his voice. "Did you find my father's pen?"

"Pen?" Yao's brow furrowed.

"He had a lucky pen," Roderich explained. "He brought it around with him everywhere. It was a special ink pen given to him by my mother. He treasured it as his muse. Did you find it?"

"There was no pen mentioned when we gave an initial inspection," Yao frowned and was sad to see the Young Master's shoulders deflate. "However, if a pen is found, I'll most certainly let you know about it."

"If you do find the pen, and it isn't vital to the case, might I have it?" Roderich looked forlorn. "It's… the only thing that will truly find me solace, knowing his muse, and the most important item mother left behind, was in safe hands."

"I see…" Yao said.

"He wrote his own music, you see," Roderich suddenly brought a hand to his mouth and drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Please excuse me."

He promptly left the room, whilst Yao looked at the folder once more. It was mustard and had seen many a year pass, as it appeared a little battered. However, the idea that the janitor was the killer suddenly seemed all the more possible. Yet other suspects had arisen. It was no longer possible to point the finger at one person when so many people had suddenly appeared in the scene of Niklas Edelstein's life.

Yao seated himself at the sofa, and Roderich returned to the room, his face displayed nothing once again. He sat opposite Yao, composed as an aristocrat.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" he asked.

"I'd like to know your whereabouts the night your father was murdered," Yao said, keeping a straight face.

"Oh, the police asked this…" Roderich put a hand to his mouth. "I… after his performance, we were to hold a party for his sixtieth birthday. Well, I believe that's where I was at the time of his murder, but the authorities didn't have an exact time. I was there until… oh… maybe three in the morning? That's when it petered out."

"What about your fiancée?" Yao dropped the question.

Roderich blanched. "Elizabeta? She came to the party with me."

"Were you with her the entire time?" Yao asked.

"Well, no," Roderich shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "We did go separate ways, but Elizabeta would never have left the party as one of the hosts."

"These are just standard questions, Mr Edelstein," Yao said. "In no way do I suspect Miss Hédeváry. These merely give me a basic idea of where everyone was so I can confirm who _didn't_ do it."

"Well, OK, then," Roderich said. "I didn't see her for most of the party. It began at midnight and ended at three to four, depending on which guests left. My father was there from… twelve to one thirty. He was old, and said he liked to sleep."

"And yet he went back to the music theatre?" Yao asked.

Roderich nodded.

"At what times did you see Miss Hédeváry during the party?" Yao continued.

"Elizabeta did _not_ kill my father," Roderich said sternly.

"I understand this, aru, but these are just-"

"Standard questions?" his tone had become suddenly cold. "Ja, well, I'm giving them the standard answers they need. My fiancée didn't go back to the music theatre. I'm sure all the party guests could give you an alibi for her during the entire night."

"Your fiancée is not a suspect," Yao insisted, even though his words differed to his thoughts.

"Then stop treating her like one," the Young Master folded his arms, and Yao could see why a janitor would want Niklas Edelstein to kick the bucket, if he truly was the same as his son.

"One more question, Edelstein," Yao warned, as Roderich stood.

"What?" he said coldly, holding the door open for him to leave.

"When did you and Elizabeta get engaged?" Yao asked.

"Why is that relevant?" Roderich snapped. "If you think it's in any way related to my father's death, I think I can give you enough evidence to show it isn't. We've actually been engaged eight and a half months now. Is that good enough?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, aru," Yao stood.

"Is everything OK?" Elizabeta's voice could be heard from outside, and Yao peered round to see her standing on the staircase with Yong and Mei behind.

"Ja," Roderich looked over his shoulder, dark purple eyes stormy as they locked with Yao's. "Detective Wang was just leaving now. It seems he's finished with his questions."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Oh dear- bad start... But there's a lot of cards on the table! Thank you for your patience and for reading Gakutalia. Until next time!_


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** _Hey, everyone! It's been a relatively tame week this time round. I've been lounging at home now that I no longer have a reason to go outside. I can't believe it's only the 8th! It feels like so much more time has passed since I finished my exams, but it was only about two and a half weeks ago that I finished school forever. I mean, I have university, but my high school days have come to a close! I'm actually surprisingly relieved, and I've gotten some closure because my friend and I returned today to hand in books we didn't want to accidentally steal. It was the last day for everyone else today, so the school year has ended, meaning we're officially no longer attending that school. It's all done, but I'm glad to be moving on to the next stage of my life! My exam results arrive on the 18th of August, and I'll be able to see where life takes me from there. I'm looking forwards to it!_

 _Oh, also, it was pointed out to me that on the previous chapter I wrote 'Thanks for your patience with Gakutalia' or something along the lines. As much as I love Gakutalia and appreciate everyone's patience for that Fic, I really need to move on! My phrases have become so generic in the closing A/N that, after 40 or so chapters of Gakutalia, I've become attuned to writing the same phrase. I may edit it out, or I may leave it just for the amusement of future readers. We'll see._

 _Without further ado, enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

The drive back was a long, silent hour. Yao had decided he didn't want the music on, and after the malicious tone Edelstein had used to force his exit, neither Mei nor Yong Soo complained, both aware it hadn't gone completely to plan. The yellow folder Yao had been given laid in Mei's lap throughout the car journey, but she didn't dare open it. It had suddenly become dark, as it always did at six thirty onwards, their visit to Edelstein's stately manor having been a brief half hour until the bitter end. He yawned. The sudden increase in work was making him exhausted, and now he had to worry if he would still be getting the seven fifty after having offended the client so casually.

He came to stop outside the Honda ramen bar and locked the car once the three of them were out. He wandered into the bar and instantly spotted Lien sitting on one of the stools, eating a bowl of hot ramen. He slumped down in the seat beside her and ordered his own bowl of the usual pork ramen. Yong Soo dropped down in the seat beside him to dutifully order his one of everything ramen. Mei only went for a green tea, claiming she'd eat dinner later.

"How was work?" Kiku asked as he whipped up the two bowls of ramen ordered.

"Stressful," Yao groaned, putting his head in his hands, earning glances from both Lien and Kiku. "Edelstein now hates me, aru."

"Oh?" his friend didn't specifically ask the question – he was too polite like that – but Yao could see the curiosity in his eyes.

"I think I was closing in too hard on the possibility of Hédeváry being a suspect, aru," he muttered. "It's understandable he would get moody about that, but still... Didn't anyone else see the way she was acting today, aru?"

"She was a little quiet…" Yong Soo agreed.

"She was acting _suspicious_ ," Yao grunted. "She wasn't just quiet, but she was watching every move we made, aru."

"She still let you stay in the living room alone," Mei pointed out. "I don't think you could call that 'watching every move'."

"I'm not sure," he grumbled. "I spoke with Edelstein and he flared up about her whereabouts on Saturday night. He wasn't even with her the entire night, aru. Besides, whose side are you on? Have I never told you my favourite phrase that 'anyone can be a suspect'?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Maybe they acted as a duet?" Yong Soo suggested, grinning when a bowl of ramen was placed down before him.

"I don't know," Yao said. "Maybe. Is Lei back?"

Lien shook her head, focused on her food.

"But think about it, Aniki," Yong Soo leant over his bowl to peer at Yao closely. "The murders were muddled between rushed. What if it could actually be _two people_?"

"Maybe," Yao shrugged, and watched as Kiku placed a ramen bowl before him. "I found out that Niklas Edelstein wrote some of his own music. I believe that may have been what he was doing before he was murdered."

"Whoa, _really_?" Yong Soo's eyes widened. "And you're saying the killer- or _killers_ \- took the original work of Niklas Edelstein with them?"

"I'd imagine so, aru, considering it wasn't there," Yao said, and shot him a tired stare. "I think that may have been the motive, but don't quote me. Roderich also mentioned something about a pen his father owned. Did you find one on him?"

Once again, Lien shook her head, still busy eating her dinner.

"So, the killer was after Niklas Edelstein's music and they took his magical music writing pen?" Yong Soo guessed. "Sounds like something someone who likes music would do."

"Roderich _did_ say the pen was a gift from the late Mrs Edelstein, and acted as Niklas' muse," Yao pondered. "So perhaps it did hold significance in his inspiration, aru. I honestly don't know why they'd want to take the pen, though…"

"It could be that they believed it had a lucky charm to it," Mei rolled her eyes. "Maybe they believed the pen would provide the same gift to them as it did to Niklas Edelstein, not knowing the pen had _personal_ rather than _general_ inspiration."

"Are you saying the killer wanted the pen for luck?" Yao asked.

"Maybe," Mei shrugged, and sipped her green tea. "Although, I'm not sure… It seems loose."

"We found a gun in Edelstein's living room," Yao said. "It was an ornamental one, but he'd taken it out of the case for a recent polish, or so he said, aru. I don't know; he could be lying, he could be telling the truth. We just need more evidence, aru. What we _do_ have is the possibility of pinning down Niklas Edelstein's time of death."

This caught Lien's gaze. "Oh?"

"Niklas Edelstein had a sixtieth birthday party thrown by his son and daughter-in-law to be that lasted from midnight to three in the morningm aru," Yao laid out the scene. "Niklas left at around one thirty, according to Roderich, so must've been at the music theatre a little after that, depending on where this party was. He didn't say, and then we… fell out? Anyway, the janitor's body was present, and, according to Lien, he died _after_ Niklas Edelstein, aru. Roderich said the janitor's shift lasted from ten to two in the morning. I would guess that, since he was in the backrooms underground, William James was finishing his shift, aru. That means _his_ death probably occurred at just around two in the morning. Niklas Edelstein's happened before that, so occurred between one thirty and two."

"OK," Lien said, staring off into space with dark, troubles eyes as she considered this newfound information.

"I would guess Niklas Edelstein was killed closer to the one thirty mark, aru," Yao continued. "That would give the killer at most a half hour to perform that half-assed clean-up task of the murder scene, set up the piano trap, and then encounter William James, the late night shift janitor, aru. It was probably then that he was killed, at around just after two."

"So... maybe it wasn't two people..." Yong Soo dipped his head in frustration.

"That makes sense," Lien looked thoughtful, pushing her empty ramen bowl aside. "And it also confirms that, at Saturday morning, between one thirty to two in the morning, is the time we should look out for concerning people's alibis."

"Exactly, aru," Yao beamed.

"So, what leads have we got from your part of the search?" Lien asked.

"For starters, I'd like to speak with Elizabeta Hédeváry alone," Yao thought for a moment. "Which means we'll need to do some surveillance work to find out when she's home alone, aru. I'd also like to speak with Giuliano Zwingli about his whereabouts, since he was Niklas Edelstein's rival, and would be the cliché killer, if that's the case. Finally, it would be good to review Gilbert Beilschmidt's profile, track him down, and ask him some questions."

"Gilbert Beilschmidt?" Kiku asked.

"The _other_ janitor," Yao said. "The morning shift guy."

"Our guilty janitor theory can be upheld?" Lien looked hopeful.

"Absolutely," Yao grinned. "It's also convenient that this same guy hasn't contacted Roderich Edelstein since him discovering Niklas Edelstein's body on Saturday morning, aru. After learning about William James' death, Roderich still hasn't heard from him. This could mean this Beilschmidt guy doesn't know, doesn't care or…"

"Did James and Edelstein the Elder in?" Yong Soo's eyes shone with a glimmer of hope.

"Precisely," Yao was pleased about how this was working out. "What about you, Lien? What did you find?"

"Well, as you asked, there wasn't a pen on the crime scene, not near Niklas's body, and not on his person, either," Lien rubbed her hands together and turned in her seat to look at him. "If this pen truly is of the value Roderich Edelstein made it sound like, and if Niklas Edelstein really _was_ writing music on the night he died, then it _should've_ been there. That confirms it's been taken and should be added to our items of consideration, alongside the gun and the now potential missing sheet music. His cause of death is in full certainty strangulation. There was skin underneath his fingernails, but that was only him trying to claw the piano wires away from his neck; he was too weak to properly fight back from his head wounds. If Niklas Edelstein survived the strangulation, then he would've bled to death anyway. The wounds on the back of his head would've killed him by the time it was seven. Whoever committed this crime had reasonable physical strength. Their weapon was probably strong, but it still takes a lot to subdue a fully grown adult male, regardless of his strength, as well as crack open a sturdy, reinforced piano lid."

"What kind of strength are we talking about?" Yao asked.

"Don't rule out Hédeváry," Lien said. "But I doubt someone like Mei would've been able to do quite so much damage to the back of the head."

"OK," Yao glanced at Mei, who suddenly looked indignant, and nodded in confirmation.

"There were no other external wounds to indicate a cause of death," Lien said. "His time of death certainly didn't differ much from William James'. I think the point of interest was from the photo Lei took. When I went to investigate Niklas Edelstein's body, it made me rethink things. He had _nothing_ in his pockets. What kind of man doesn't have _anything_ in his pockets? There was no phone, no money, no handkerchief. Someone's been through his pockets, and I'd assume that's because they wanted his pen or something else. After removing the jacket, I saw the mark on Edelstein's shirt."

"What is it?" Yao asked eagerly.

"A handprint," she replied.

"A _handprint_?" his hopes shot up. "As in, we have proper finger print evidence as to who may have killed Niklas Edelstein, aru?"

"No, it's definitely the markings of a glove, and it's patchy," she shook her head, much to his disappointment. "But I'd assume it's when their weapon got bloodied from hitting Edelstein over the back of the head. Since they needed to put their weapon down, I'd imagine they placed it methodically on the edge of something, to prevent a bloodied mark being left. However, they put their weapon down, and dragged a half conscious Edelstein to his eventual death at the hands of the piano chords. That's how this hand print got in place. The blood is more prominent for the person's right hand, though, indicating they're right handed."

"That rules down our search by most people," Yong Soo commented sarcastically.

"It's a start, aru," Yao snapped. "Be grateful that Lien has done all this stuff for us. I can't see you getting into forensic analysis with this kind of ingratitude, aru."

Yong Soo hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Aniki..."

"Anything more, Lien?" Yao asked, ignoring the sullen teenager.

"The bleach samples matched," she said. "That product was used to attempt to clean away Niklas Edelstein's blood. There should be a missing bottle in the trash."

"So, we may need to go the music theatre another time, aru?" Yao asked grimly, and she nodded in response, much to his dismay. "What else?"

"I had a look at the second crime scene," she said, unaffected by Yong Soo's arrogance. "The mop may have been used to clean the floors down there, but it wasn't used to bludgeon Niklas Edelstein to his untimely death. The blood had dried between then, making a half hour distance between the murders perfectly plausible. The victim, William Jones, died from multiple stab wounds from clippers that probably came from the underground floor, as they weren't used for Niklas Edelstein's murder. He died fairly quickly due to bleeding from those wounds. He was probably incapacitated from the pain of his wounds. He wasn't killed in there, as there wasn't a blood splatter to indicate that. He died elsewhere.

"The sample in the water was purely a mixture of some cleaning agent and William James' blood," she continued. "Niklas Edelstein's murder isn't technically connected to James', apart from the killer having a near certain chance of being the same person. From the way events seem to have planned out, William James wasn't supposed to die. He was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time. The killer had the purpose of killing Niklas Edelstein, and the janitor joined in for the ride, just because of his work hours. There was nothing intended against William James."

"Niklas Edelstein truly was targeted by a malicious force, then…" Yao mused. "Well, we've definitely made progress, aru. We just need to confirm William James' exact moment of death in order to trace the killer's movements. His death was rushed and sloppy, so probably happened in the moment, aru."

"Are we going back to the theatre?" Yong Soo asked excitedly.

"Should be," Yao said. "We also need confirmed data from Lei about the photos and footage, aru."

"And if we track down Gilbert Beilschmidt, we can potentially find our killer," Mei added, brightening and sitting up.

"I don't like jumping to conclusions but, yes, very possibly, aru," Yao said proudly. "How about we take a look at that folder and we'll start tracking him soon enough?"

Mei opened the folder and flipped through. She paused at 'B', until she found the very name 'Gilbert Beilschmidt'. Yao looked over her shoulder to see a young albino man, with a harsh expression of smug arrogance. His address and phone number were listed, as well as the year he began working at the music theatre. Folding the top corner of the page, Yao made an internal promise to find Gilbert Beilschmidt.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you for reading **Investigasians** , and thank you for the patience! It's much appreciated! Have a good weekend, everyone, and until next time!_


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:** _Hello, everybody! I think I should apologise for the shorter chapter last week. My head's been all over the place, and I've been suffering a lot of writer's block recently (perhaps it showed in my A/N's? I feel I was less chatty...) but I feel a new spur of energy within me now._

 _I've also just finished reading **The Fanseries** trilogy by **BFTLandMWandSEK** \- perhaps some of you have already read it, as the series started in 2012 or something? It was recommended to me by **Poisonlillie** , so thank you for introducing me to such an interesting, eye-opening series._ _Well, I can tell you that I felt a lot of emotions whilst reading that, and I have to say my favourite of the trilogy was probably **The Fanboy** , mainly because I loved their OC Larry to the point that I wish he was my friend in real life! Honestly, I can't get enough of Larry-he's hilarious- so I'm really sad that the series was only a trilogy, but all good things must come to an end. Honestly, though, if you're looking for a story packed with humour, read **The Fangirl** , the first one, if you want a mixture of funny and serious, read **The Fanboy** , the second one, and if you just want an emotional roller coaster, like I evidently did, I endorse you to read all three if you haven't yet._

 _Without further ado, here's the next chapter of Investigasians: The Musical Massacre!_

 _Oh, wait._

 _I just have to say, I really like everybody's theories so far! I'm hearing all sorts of names jump out at me, and seeing everybody ponder over what's to come seriously makes me grin from ear to ear so... keep up the good work my reviewing detectives! You're probably more suited for the job than Yao is, what with his snail's pace and monetary goals. Thank you for all the support and love that's been given to this story. I can't stress enough just how grateful I am to see your reviews and reply to them. I've been a fan of Hetalia for a year now, and I just get so many pleasant surprises of how creative this fandom can be: the art, the games, the fics, the headcannons and even parallel aspects such as the 2Ps. It's amazing what so many heads can create when put together._

 _So, for the real "without further ado" (it's my catch phrase in the same way America says "dude" or Russia says "da" or China says "aru"- I'm fairly assure the "WFA" has appeared in almost every chapter as well as the classic "until next time"... I need some new scripts...) - **the real** without further ado is finally here: enjoy the next chapter of The Musical Massacre!_

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

The following day at five, Yao met both Yong and Mei at the Honda ramen bar. The days just kept getting colder and colder, it seemed, and the weather crueller towards him. It also seemed to bother Mei, who chose to crank up the car's heating system, blowing on her hands and rubbing them together pointedly, as if accusing _him_ that she couldn't stay warm. Their mission today was to investigate the music theatre. Again. A trash can and a supposedly used cleaning agent awaited them. Depending on the results found, this would tell them a notable amount about the killer. Yao could either smell money in the air, or the faint hints of muggy pollution that blasted through the air con.

Yao swung the car into the theatre parking complex and instantly spotted the police cars still gathered at the crime scene like a muttering crowd. He already knew he was going to get grief for trying to do his job.

"Hey, maybe Harlot Mei can work her _magic_ again this time," Yong Soo said bitterly from the back of the car as Yao turned off the engine.

"What did you just say?" she glowered into the rear view mirror, and even Yao had to look at the mischievous squint in Yong's eyes.

"You heard me."

Mei turned in her seat with a dark stare. "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Officer Kirkland seemed under a _spell_ to me," he continued, confident in his accusation. "Just a few words from your harlot tongue and there was no escape for him."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry I happen to use _charm_ to make my way through situations like that," she grumbled. "Some of us use words, and for _some of us,_ it happens to work."

"I'm not about to curse or hinder that ability, aru," Yao interjected with a shrug. "If Officer Kirkland spends the rest of his life swayed by Mei's 'tender' voice, why should I complain? It gets him out from under my skin, aru."

"You can't just use me as some kind of motivation for your enemies to leave you alone," Mei huffed. "Even if I don't set the best examples and my methods might seem a _little_ conceited, in no way do I want to be seen as an object."

"OK, aru," Yao said.

"Are you even _listening_ to me?" she scowled.

Yao opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by an insistent tapping at his window. Turning his seat with a curled lip, he wasn't too surprised to see Chief Arsehole rapping his knuckles impatiently against the glass. With as much arrogance as he could muster, and in cases that involved the Chief Policeman there was a lot available, he rolled down the window and leant out, wearing a bored expression. He wanted to portray the idea that Kirkland was wasting his time; for once, Yao wanted to act like the arsehole.

"What are you doing here?" Kirkland demanded. "I thought you were done with the crime scene. If you're not, then you're too late. I've already had my squad clear away _both_ corpses of Edelstein and James."

"Well, aru, we're just here to check the trash," Yao said confidently.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kirkland folded his arms. "An officer of my standing isn't likely to have allowed anything important to get thrown away. There's no need for you to be here, rifling through the trash."

"We're not here to go over what was in the crime scene," Yao felt a frown stretch across his face. He _needed_ to do this if he hoped to progress in the case.

"Ah, I see," the Chief Arsehole smirked and raised his head higher. "You've dragged your teammates along to find your dinner for you. Well, I can't let that happen. It's my duty to prevent anyone from the public experiencing illness that the authorities could've prevented; even if it _is_ dithering losers such as yourself searching for a proper meal…"

"I actually have a good place where I-"

"It's OK, Yao," Mei leant forwards to look at both him and Officer Kirkland. "We can always wait a few days until the authorities have loaded the trash to the dumpster. We'll continue our search there…"

He wasn't sure how she managed to change the tone of her voice to suddenly sound the victim, but it earned a pleasing reaction. Officer Kirkland noticed her and rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly averting his gaze and the smug look in his eyes instantly gone. Suddenly, he had a lot less to say.

"I don't think I can let you do that..." he swallowed.

"It's OK, Officer," she replied kindly, and Yao knew he needed to keep his trap shut. "With a position as respectable as yours, and a competent team to match, we honestly wouldn't expect you to be concerned about our habits every hour of the day. We're all doing our jobs here, so we'll search the dump later- right, Yao?"

Yao nodded vigorously, and could see Yong bobbing his head in the rear view mirror. Officer Arsehole stared in through the mirror wearing a strained smile for a full two heartbeats. He couldn't hold Mei's gaze, though- she was too good at pretending to be sincere. Perhaps some part of him knew she was being manipulative. Perhaps some part of him didn't care. Or, perhaps, he truly was oblivious. Either way, he still let out a long sigh and turned to the side, so that he wouldn't have to face them as he relented.

"Geh, fine," he sighed, gritting his teeth together. "I can allow you to check through the trash… if that's what you _really_ want?"

"Really?" Mei's eyes shone. "Thank you _so_ much."

Kirkland puffed out his cheeks, then gave her another forced smile. "What kind of gentleman would leave a lady and her friends rifling through… a place like the dumpster?"

 _A man who hasn't been fooled by Harlot Mei_ , Yao thought, liking the nickname Yong Soo had given her. It felt suddenly fitting.

"Thank you very much," Mei beamed.

Next thing Yao knew, he and Yong Soo were shoving their hands through the bags of trash left over from Friday night's performance. Mei leant casually against the wall, watching them, after having refused to contribute to the search. In truth, Yao didn't blame her, and was tempted to let Yong Soo spend the rest of his day rifling through the smells of half consumed food, packaging, bottles, general litter and all sorts of chewing gum people had casually thrown in throughout the show's span until it's very end. It was disgusting work, but at least the policing authorities had provided thin, rubber gloves and basic masks that covered the mouth and nose. His eyes were still watering since not all the scent was stopped by the mask, but he ploughed on, determined to make this as quick a job as he could make it.

For hours they searched the trash cans until a bottle of cleaning agent was finally recovered. Yao held it in his hands and noticed the bloodied prints of a glove left on them. Honestly, if you hid the clues in a most desperate place, the evidence could be overlooked. This was the bottle that had seen Niklas Edelstein's departure from the planet. He turned to the others and held the bottle towards them. Both shook their heads. Yao decided to drop the disgusting item in a plastic bag and approached Officer Kirkland, who wrinkled his nose as he approached.

"We got what we wanted, aru," he said. "So, you can throw all that away, now."

"You _wanted_ something from that?" Kirkland's thick eyebrows rose. "As you're not an official member of authorities, I request to see that evidence…"

Yao held up the empty bottle and the Chief Policeman grudgingly took the bag.

"Well…" he mumbled. "Have you taken a photo of this for your evidence board? That is, if you have one. And remember, Miss Chun has been granted permission to analyse any items of evidence that are found."

"I know, aru," Yao answered.

"Say, do you know what the murder weapon is?" Kirkland asked.

"Nope, not yet," Yao replied. "But I think we're on to a suspect: my Arumeter is telling me so."

"Right, well… good luck with that," Kirkland rolled his eyes. "Contact the police, though, when a suspect is evident and we'll interrogate and question them."

"OK, aru," Yao rolled his eyes. "You explain this procedure as if I don't know it."

"Your colleagues might not," he gestured vaguely towards Yong Soo and Mei. " _Personally_ , I don't know why the Mayor trusts you so much... For that measure, I'm going to ask you to leave. The authorities are clearing this place out for public usage once more."

"Really?" Mei outburst. "What if more people are attacked? We still don't have a murderer's motive."

"Don't worry about it, Mei," Yao reassured her. "We already confirmed the janitor's death was on the spot, aru. Niklas Edelstein was the intended target."

She lowered her head slightly and nodded in agreement. Her behaviour rubbed off on Yao, and he began to wonder if reopening the musical theatre would only provoke an attack as vicious as the late Mr Edelstein's.

"We're definitely done here, aru," Yao smiled at Kirkland.

"I wasn't asking that," Kirkland muttered. "I was requesting you leave or face possible arrest for trespassing on property you shouldn't be on."

"OK, OK," Yao held up his hands and backed quickly away. "We're leaving."

Mei snapped a photo of the evidence bottle and hurried after both Yong and Yao. The three of them approached the Old Civic, which was when Yao finally dared lift the mask from his face.

"Oh, geez," he groaned. "We reek. No wonder Kirkland was giving us those funny stares…"

"At least I don't," Mei looked thankful. "That was one reason not to go rummaging through trash. It would make me smell bad."

"Were there other reasons, aru?" Yao unlocked the car and slid inside, making sure to roll down the windows as he did so.

"You never know what creatures could be lurking in those bags," she grimaced. "I didn't want to come across a rat or spider or something. That would just be too much for me…"

"Right," he started the car and rolled out of the parking lot, noticing Kirkland keeping an eye on him. "He's such an ass, aru… Yong, can we clean off in the showers at your place?"

"My mum should be OK with it," Yong Soo shrugged. "But Mei doesn't need a shower. What should we do with her in the meantime?"

"Is it not possible for Mei to wait downstairs?" Yao looked at him incredulously through the rear view mirror, for Mei had once again called shotgun.

"Yeah, I guess so," the youngest member dipped his head down once, and Yao took that for a nod. "I'm sure my parents won't mind us showering there, either."

"You have, like, ten bathrooms, aru," Yao grumbled. "Why would your parents deny us something they could easily offer us?"

"Because they don't like you?" Yong Soo frowned.

Yao didn't reply to that, because it was true, and the moderate drive to Yong Soo's house fell into silence, until Mei started her radio switching once more, as well as tuning the air con up to full blast. Yao came to a stop in Yong's driveway, and they piled from the Old Civic. He could see Mei admiring the house the second she left the car. Since Yong Soo's house was protected by a natural border of fencing and hedges, Yao deemed it would be OK to leave the car windows open a little to air the Old Civic out – there was nothing to be stolen inside, anyway.

The three of them walked up to the door and Yong Soo used his keys to open it. Mei was still gazing around as Yong Soo placed a flat palm on the door and pushed it open.

* * *

Mei had never imagined Yong Soo to live such an extraordinary life. Upon her first impression, she had strongly believed he'd been some street urchin Yao had pulled up from the gutters. Even when Yao had mentioned the BMW his parents owned, Mei's brain could never register that Yong Soo belonged to a family of significant wealth. She couldn't help but nod in appreciation at the well-kept rugs and parquet flooring that had been recently cleaned. There was an air of taste about the hallway, and a woman swept out from behind the stairs with a wide smile and open arms.

She pulled the young man into her embrace, still wearing that beautiful smile. Although probably having reached her late forties, she was a glamorous and beautiful woman. She was of average height, slender and shaped, and had a lively bounce to her step as she walked forward to gently shake Mei's hand. Her hands were smooth and soft, and lacked unprofessional, sweaty palms. Silky black hair was tied into a neat bun, and her perfume smelled just like that new Chanel brand that had come out about two months ago. The beauty and warmth of this woman evaporated when she turned to face Yao. Her smile dropped and she straightened up in a taut manner, her face pulled into an expression that could only be described as revulsion, and seemed to add ten years to her age.

"Yao," she said bitterly, almost standing the same height as him.

"Mrs Im," he replied politely, holding her gaze calmly. It was like two cats having a standoff.

"Hi, Mummy," Yong Soo interrupted the miniature conflict. "Is it OK if I and Yao use a couple of the showers here? We've been doing some super-secret stuff and it required us to get our hands a little dirty."

"Oh, precious Soo," she cooed, reaching forward to hold his face in her hands. "Mummy could never say that you… hang on. What _is_ that smell?"

"You could say we've been dumpster diving, but that's not strictly accurate," Yong Soo replied.

"Yes, go take a shower," she wrinkled her nose, taking a step away and then glancing at Yao. "I should make you go outside to the hose, but I wouldn't want to end up paying the bill when you get sick."

"Does that mean you're hospitable enough to let me take a shower here, aru?" he asked sceptically.

The woman made a wild gesture. "Next thing we know, you'll be asking for a room."

Mei watched as Yao considered the possibility, but since Yong Soo's mother was already enraged at his presence, he decided against it. Besides, Mei wondered how long he'd last once Yong Soo skipped off to university or for a place of his own. She could only envision that Yao would follow Yong forever, unable to afford the right place for himself. That kind of sad, sub-existence almost made her pity him. Almost.

"And who might _you_ be?" the woman guided Mei to the kitchen whilst Yong Soo and Yao rushed off to clean themselves up.

"A new member to the detective agency," Mei replied, taking a bar seat at the counter island in the centre of the kitchen. "A part time one…"

"You look young as well," the woman sighed. "I'm starting to believe that _man_ is hiring children to do his work for him… Disgusting, really."

Mei couldn't help but feel a little flattered. "Don't worry about me – I'm actually twenty-two."

"That's still young," Yong's mother sighed. "Only _just_ out of university. I don't want Yong Soo falling behind his work because of Mr Wang; I want him to do better than him, because I have faith in my son."

"He's a clever boy," Mei said, although it was undeniable that Yong could lack common sense. And perhaps intelligence. She had yet to see his 'shine'.

"What did you say your name was?" Yong's mother asked.

They both knew she hadn't said; it was a prompt, not a question, in truth. "Mei Xiao."

"Mei… that's such a pretty name," she sighed. "Would you like a drink?"

"Coffee, if that's OK?" she hadn't had a proper American coffee since she'd lived in the States. Once upon a time ago, Mei had loved tea, but the constant need for caffeine during her student days had put her on a diet of coffee, energy drinks and microwave noodles.

"That's fine," the older woman set about to making drinks. "Chiyu by the way. Chiyu Im."

"This house is wonderful," Mei sighed.

"Thank you," she said brusquely. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Err, just black," Mei replied. "I got a bit addicted to it in the States."

"You lived there?" Chiyu asked, placing the coffee before Mei and sitting across from her – she herself had a green tea.

Mei nodded. "That's where _I_ went to university."

"Perhaps I should convince Yong Soo to go abroad?" Chiyu drummed manicured nails on the dark granite worktops. "It would get him away from that awful Mr Wang, that's for sure…"

"I don't know- studying abroad can be hard," Mei shrugged, staring into the rippling reflection of the dark liquid in the mug she held as she reflected on the past. "It can be quite isolating. Besides, Yong Soo strangely looks up to Yao."

"I know…" his mother looked despairingly upwards. "I honestly don't know why. The man never has anything coming for him. Why did you let him drag you into this 'detective' stuff? It seems so pointless and it never seems to get the man anywhere."

"I actually knew Yao from childhood," Mei admitted. "We used to play games a little like this. There's a certain thrill to solving cases that just… drew me in once again."

Chiyu Im was looking at her curiously. "They keep it so confidential. Yong Soo never tells me what's going on, so I always have to worry if they're getting into dangerous situations. However, every time I looked Mr Wang up in the past, I could never find anything solid other than gossip that he found someone's cat and got paid a small sum for it… That's grunt work, right? I know they have to have some kind of secrecy in this line of business – client protection and whatever – but I just need some confirmation that my precious Soo isn't going to get hurt from it."

"He won't," Mei replied almost instantly. "The work we do? It's not dangerous. Not in any way."

"Would you… tell me what you're doing at the moment?" Yong Soo's mother raised her eyes to Mei's.

She knew that they weren't supposed to tell anyone about a case. It was meant to be kept secret past the point of secrecy; Yao had made that clear. However, Yong Soo's mother was obviously desperate. The worry in her eyes was distinctive, her fingers drumming the table must've been an anxious tic, and she couldn't sit still. All these things that Mei suddenly noticed made her almost angry at Yong Soo. How could he leave his mother in the dark without a second's assurance that everything could be OK? Mei knew that, in his situation, she would want her parents to at least know her life wasn't in danger. She could guess, in Chiyu Im's position, it was a pain every day to see her son disappear for hours without a moment of contact between them. She probably waited at home, praying silently that her son would come back alive and bouncing rather than on a stretcher, wrapped up in a shroud. The thought of having to wait for that was unbearable. Mei opened her mouth to assure her, to tell her that, although this was a murder case, everything would be fine, but as soon as the words were about to leave her mouth, someone thundered into the room.

She turned in her seat to see Yao standing in the doorway. He was wearing Yong Soo's spare clothes, because the shirt was too long and the shorts he wore went a little too much past his knees. His arrival was far too coincidental for _him_ ; Mei knew that. All she could wonder was just how much of the conversation had he heard?

"You look ridiculous," Mei commented.

"Thanks for that, aru," he said bitterly, and Mei wondered if there was a double meaning to his words. She hoped there wasn't.

"If you plan on taking Yong Soo with you again, don't get your hopes up," Chiyu sipped her tea. "It's his dinner at seven, and I would bet on your life easily that you wouldn't see tomorrow if he wasn't back by then."

"I understand, Mrs Im," Yao replied. "But just for the record, I do actually make sure Yong's fed…"

"With ramen," she added pointedly. "Not everyone _needs_ to live off cheap ramen like you do, Mr Wang. I want my son to grow happy and healthy, and to be as strong as possible. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Yao nodded curtly. "If that's the case, I and Mei will be off."

Mei hurriedly finished her coffee, taking it as a major hint to get a move on.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you to everyone for reading this, and giving me the time of day! Honestly, I'm just so thankful that you go out of your way to read my Fic, and also to review! I know this chapter was more contemplasian before investigasian, but I felt I needed to make a few things more... clear. Either way, thanks for bearing with me. On the note of reviewing, please! Feel free to drop a comment, be it long or short, a theory or a statement! I really love to see my reader's opinions, and moreover, I absolutely adore replying! It genuinely interests me to see what you, the reader, thinks of what I write- so please, if you have something you want to say, drop a review! Yao gets a dollar for every review you write (well, he doesn't... but he wishes)._

 _Until next time, my fellow Hetalians (or casual readers? Who knows?). The mystery awaits!_


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N:** _Welcome back, everyone, to Investigasians! It's been another quiet week, although my sister is returning from Norway today. She's been gone an entire month, so it'll be nice to see her again! Oh, I did get Pokémon Go recently, but unfortunately, I live in a quiet area. By that, I mean, there are no Pokéstops, and no Pokémon, so. I have a Squirtle, and I named him Squigs. That's, sadly, been the highlight of my week, and because of a lack of civilisation, it wasn't particularly long-lasting. Oh, well._

 _Also, Happy Birthday to Poland! I know he technically has two birthdays, but I'm aware this is one of them, so Happy Birthday. Shout out to **the entire population of Poland**. _

_On birthdays. It's mine next Wednesday, and I usually post an extra chapter for special events. My birthday is no different! However, I'm out on the actual day (27th), and I'm busy on the 25th and 26th, and I feel the 24th is a bit too early. If I have the time, I'll try and aim for posting on the 25th, but if not, expect the extra chapter on the 28th, plus the weekly chapter on the 29th. I'm finally going to be 18, in other words!_

 _Also, I'd like to say thank you to **totallyignorable** , for helping me with language. They kindly pointed out that Chi'u is not actually a Korean name (as I intended), and that there was probably some confusion with the translation. Instead, the proper romanisation is 'Chiyu', and I will endeavour to change my previous errors. To all the readers who haven't previously read **Scaretalia** or **Gakutalia: The First Term** , you have the fortune to have not witnessed my awful French. Despite having studied it for 5-6 years, I still can't string out a full sentence. Therefore, thank you for pointing that out! I would hate to think I'm butchering someone's native tongue._

 _Without further ado: the next chapter of **The Musical Massacre**!_

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

* * *

The car smelt considerably better as Yao slid into the driver's seat, Mei quietly dipping into her spot in the passenger one. In the back of the car was a plastic bag containing the clothes he intended to wash, refusing to smell like garbage. Yong Soo hadn't been happy to have been left behind, but Yao respected Mrs Im's choice and firmly told him that Yong would just have to wait until tomorrow for the details. In the meantime, he and Mei were going to continue the investigation.

He started the engine and set off without Yong. There was a moment's silence, until Mei began to reach towards radio.

"Wait," he said, and her hand stilled as he turned out onto the main road.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You were going to tell her," Yao said, thinking back to Mrs Im's face and how Mei had fallen momentarily silent.

He watched her visibly stiffen in her chair, and thought filled her eyes.

"Don't lie to me – I know you were going to do it," he saw her purse her lips out of the corner of his eye. "If you told her someone had been murdered, Yong would never be allowed near me again. She'd think he'd be in danger."

She remained silent, but at least she didn't turn on the radio.

"It's out of respect to the client's personal life that we remain silent," Yao continued. "If you'd said something to her, I would've had to exclude you from this case."

"Yeah," she replied.

"Is that it?" Yao puffed out his cheeks. "Just a 'yeah'?"

"She just looked so desperate," Mei sighed. "I felt sorry for her."

"Will you still tell her?" he just needed to make sure.

"No," she replied. "Because you're right. Roderich Edelstein won't want everyone knowing about what happened. The client's privacy comes first."

He nodded, accepting her answer for what it was. He had worried Mei would tip over and admit everything they did to Mrs Im. It was bad enough her son came home late every night, and today he'd smelt of the dumpster. She was often highly strung about the smallest things they did. A murder investigation would be enough for her to conclude Yao needed to stay away from Yong. As stressful as he found the kid... Yao would notice his absence.

"Right, so we need to speak with Lei," Yao said, deeming it most sensible to change the subject. "He should be able to tell us what he saw on the footage."

"Lei is…?"

"You saw him in the café as well," Yao said. "The one who looks like a teen, but has actually been out of uni for a few years now."

"Right," she replied. "I'm not sure I remember him."

"Don't worry," Yao shrugged. "You'll recognise his face."

She nodded and turned on the radio, covering the quiet in a blanket of music. Yao endured a long drive of that and was relieved when he was finally able to park the Old Civic at the Honda ramen bar. The old, shabby building that constantly smelt of noodles was a home comfort for Yao.

He locked the car and, with Mei in tow, entered the ramen shop. As usual, Kiku was working hard to serve customers, hot bowls of ramen being served and placed down on the bar by the dozen, it seemed. He only briefly nodded towards them before putting his concentration to his work. Yao assumed he was too busy for light hearted banted, so moved past the bar and upstairs, Mei still following. Once out of the bar, there was a hushed silence as the general chatter of customers disappeared.

"It always smells so good here," Mei commented.

"I agree," Yao said. "I can't believe Mrs Im would doubt something she's never even tried before…"

"You never know," Mei shrugged. "She may have popped in and decided it wasn't her thing."

Yao gave her an incredulous look. "Both you and I know that that's not the case, having tasted the ramen here."

"OK, maybe," she replied. "But try not to be so hard on the woman? She's only trying to defend her son from something she's unaware about."

Yao sighed. "She hates me unnecessarily."

"No, she hates you because she thinks you're a bad influence on Yong," Mei explained patiently as they wandered down the corridor. "If you could only realise that she's only looking out for her son, then maybe things would be easier between you two…"

"She needs to realise I would lay my life down for that boy if anything came at him," Yao warned. "I'm not about to get sued for his idiocy. Why are you siding with her anyway? You only just met her."

"I feel sorry for her," Mei said. "I bet my mum wouldn't have been happy about me joining in with this stuff. My parents are _extremely_ overprotective."

"Then I am glad they don't know me anymore, aru," Yao admitted. "Because I'm not about to fire you. You've proven to be a little too useful so far, especially when it comes to manipulating men."

"What?" she pulled a face.

"You work some kind of puppet magic on Officer Arsehole," Yao sniggered. "I quite like Yong's nickname of 'Harlot Mei'. I think I'll make it stick, aru."

"The only arsehole around here is you," she grumbled as he pushed open the door to Lei's abode.

The room was dark, but the TV screens shone blue and white and grey in the room. Lei sat at the computer, eyes fixed on the screens, dressed in his usual scrappy hoodie and jeans. He didn't move as the door opened to let Yao and Mei in. Yao was sure he hadn't moved in a full day.

"Lei," Yao said, and the young man raised his eyes to look at him. "You got anything from the footage?"

"Yeah, they let me have a copy of the pieces I needed most," he replied, beckoning him closer. "This is interesting, Yao. I think we have our killer."

" _What_?" Yao scuttled closer and leant in close to see what was so interesting.

"Just watch," Lei said as Mei's heels clicked on the floor across the room.

Yao stared at the screen, watching the video footage of the hallways flicker and waver. Suddenly, out of the corner of the camera, a figure shuffled into plain view. They had a long bag strapped to their back, but the clothes they wore were undeniably those of a janitor.

"Is that James?" Yao asked.

"That's what I wondered at first, but then…" Lei tapped the screen. "Check the timing."

Yao looked at the screen, which read 01:47. "What about it, aru?"

"Now watch this," Lei drew his attention to a different screen he had up of the strange corridor underneath the music theatre.

The time read 01:47. Whistling and walking around jovially was William James, perfectly alive.

"Niklas Edelstein has already been murdered, and the killer is disposing of the evidence," Lei tapped the screen once again. "I'll bet the murder weapon is sitting comfortably in that bag he has."

"Wow…" Yao frowned. "So, it really is Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"You need to find him," Lei ordered. "He's the one we want."

"What about the photos from the second crime?" Yao asked.

"Nothing," Lei shrugged, flicking to them. "I scoured each image grain by grain, but this killing is so messy there's no hidden evidence at all."

"Don't worry about it, then," Yao said. "We'll find Beilschmidt, aru."

Lei nodded and turned to his laptop. Yao looked beside him, only to find Mei wasn't there. Rather than watch the footage, Mei had disappeared to the other side of the room, where she hovered over a desk, her body completely still.

"Mei?" he watched her animate suddenly, pulling herself back into reality, and turn towards him with an extremely wide smile.

"Hmm?"

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was just wondering who drew this…?" she commented, holding up the picture of the Target.

"That?" he looked at the grisly mask, the face he hadn't deemed relevant enough to mention to Mei. "Kiku drew that."

"It's really cool," she set it back down. "He's a really good drawer."

"Yeah, he is, aru," Yao replied vacantly. "We need to make a call. Come with."

He left Lei to his own technological devices and led Mei to his office. He pushed open the door and threw himself down at his desk. Automatically, she sat across from him, her gaze level as she watched him lift the phone from its hook. From the top drawer, he pulled out the mustard coloured folder and dropped it onto the desk with a satisfactory flop. He opened it to Gilbert Beilschmidt's page and placed a finger to the paper. One by one, he punched a number into the phone, then held it up to his ear.

There was a moment's pause. Very soon, he could be on the phone to a man who had murdered two men in cold blood. Swallowing, he met Mei's gaze as the two of them sat in complete silence. There was a long wait, and then-

" _The person you are calling is not available_ ," the phone said. " _Please try again later_."

"Wow," Yao set the phone back on its hook. "It doesn't even go to voicemail…"

"What does that mean?" Mei asked.

"Either that the phone is turned off, we have no signal, or the phone no longer exists, aru," Yao said.

"Do we have signal?" she asked.

"Every house phone has signal," he scoffed. "So, yes, we do, aru."

"It's his phone, then," Mei frowned.

"I think we should call at a different time, maybe tomorrow morning?" Yao suggested. "If we still don't get anything at a completely different time, we'll have to assume his behaviour is suspicious."

"I feel like the janitor was the obvious option," Mei admitted.

"Sometimes the obvious is right," Yao shrugged. "Besides, Roderich himself said he'd had no contact from this Gilbert character since the body was found, aru. It wouldn't have been that hard to kill two men, leave it all in place, return home, wash up, sleep a little, then return to work and put on an act by the time seven o'clock arrived, aru."

"What was it your friend said…?" Mei pondered. "A motive. What could his motive be?"

"Enraged worker?" Yao said. "Roderich and Elizabeta both confirmed that Niklas wasn't the most personable of people. He made enemies with a lot of the staff. Gilbert Beilschmidt is probably the best bet we have to find our murderer."

Mei nodded with a tight frown. Yao questioned her reluctance to believe the janitor was involved. Perhaps her imagination had crafted something far more advanced? Perhaps the real world was beginning to appear as a disappointment to her? Yao couldn't be sure, but perhaps there was a part of Mei who had joined in the investigation for the thrill of a difficult chase. If that was the case, all he needed to do was tell her that the Target was not a fictional character, but a real human being, living out there, committing crimes. However, he kept his mouth shut. He wanted Mei focused on _this_ case, and if he could keep her out of something as dangerous as the Target's world, then that was good enough for him. He didn't know why, but he felt minimal involvement should be made with anything that concerned the Target.

"We'll meet up again tomorrow, aru," he decided. "You can have the rest of the day off."

She looked a little relieved. He had thought she looked slightly worn down.

"Honestly, don't worry about Yong's mother," he said as she neared the door. "She's made of sterner stuff than you may think. That's why I do exactly what she requests, aru."

"OK," she sighed. "I won't worry about it."

Her eyes were dark as she closed the door behind her. Was something about the _case_ upsetting Mei? Yao thought he should keep a close eye on his colleague, should there be something bothering her.

* * *

The following morning, Yao attempted to call Gilbert Beilschmidt once again. However, he received no answer. It was the same, vacant phone response. His suspicions rose beyond the roof. He checked the man's file once again, but found nothing strange or out of place on his records. It seemed his attack had been an on the spur bout of hatred that William James had lost his life to.

Roderich had already spoken to him about Gilbert Beilschmidt, but he knew someone else related to the music theatre who would've known the employees. It was time to speak to Giuliano Zwingli and see what he had to say about the rogue janitor.

Since he had neither Yong or Mei with him, it would be a solo mission today. Yao jumped into the Old Civic and set off moderately early. He hoped to catch Mr Zwingli before he left for important business or a concert of his own. It had been easy getting his address – one glance at the internet and a local review showed his fine looking house. Yao knew it would be harder to gain access to the Zwingli household, but it was worth a try. He needed to know as much about Gilbert Beilschmidt as he could, and even he knew his presence wouldn't be quite welcome at the Edelstein household.

He pulled the Old Civic to a halt before imposing gates. Rolling down the window, he reached out and pressed a buzzer, patiently waiting for it to bring him to someone.

"Hello?" a gentle female voice asked. "Who is this?"

"Um, this is Detective Wang, investigating the murder of Niklas Edelstein, aru," he explained. "Is Giuliano Zwingli currently inside?"

"Indeed he is," the voice said. "I shall just open the gates for you now."

Surprised at how easy access had proven to be, Yao watched as the gates robotically slid open. Rolling the car through, he glanced over his shoulder to see the gates close behind him. Pressing the car forward, he passed through a row of trees that stood sentinel like soldiers. The house was hidden behind them, a beautiful masterpiece of modern and old, bricks and stone painted pure white, with two short pillars holding a balcony over the entrance. Someone had opened the door to greet him.

Stepping out the car, Yao approached a girl standing shyly in the doorway. She was very small, even smaller than Mei, with a halo of short, golden blonde hair. Her green eyes were large and docile, and her overall appearance was angelic. She allowed him entrance, for which he thanked her, and closed the door once he was inside.

"My father is just this way," the girl explained, gesturing down a hallway.

"Thank you," Yao said, and followed her through the house.

Wherever Yao looked, he saw money. Even the girl was dressed in an expensive pink dress, a silky ribbon tied through her hair. Yao could assume her ribbon alone cost more than his entire lifestyle.

She stepped out the back door onto a cleanly swept patio where, in the distance, Yao could see the figure of Giuliano Zwingli holding a golf club, another person standing beside him.

"I won't be interrupting anything, will I?" he asked.

"He's only playing with my bruder," she said, then turned to call out across the grounds in a voice that still couldn't be considered loud. "Father?"

Giuliano paused mid-swing, lowered his club and turned to face the two of them standing on the patio. He flashed a white toothed smile and waved. The young man beside him did not. He wore a sallow expression, almost hostile, and held his golf club tightly in his hand. Yao was glad it was the daughter rather than the son who had answered the door.

"Detective Wang!" Giuliano approached and shook his hand. "What are the honours of seeing you here?"

"Actually, I'd like to ask if you know anything about the employees at the music theatre?" Yao asked.

"The employees? Have a seat," Giuliano gestured towards a table and chairs with an umbrella hanging over them. Although cold outside, Yao complied. "I'm just enjoying the last bits of golfing before the snow comes."

"Of course," Yao nodded.

"Employees, did you say?" Giuliano raised a hand to his chin in thought as his son sat beside him, and his daughter wandered back into the house. "If there's anyone to ask about employees, I'd say it was Edelstein the Younger…"

"Hmm, well, yes," Yao rubbed the back of his head. "I wanted to hear a variety of opinions, aru. Since you're very involved with the music theatre, I figured you might have an idea about his character."

"He's very annoying," Giuliano instantly muttered. "But he did a very efficient job. He left everything spotless. Much better than the night shift guy. Yes… If there's one thing about that janitor's personality, then it was that he was extremely loud and was always talking to people who came close enough to him. Even people who _didn't_ come near him."

"What was his conversation about?" Yao asked.

Giuliano cast him an odd glance. "Hmm, well… Mainly himself. He was extremely narcissistic. He hated being talked down to."

"And what was his relationship with Niklas Edelstein?" Yao questioned, jotting everything Giuliano said into his little notebook.

"Oh, well, this is interesting," a smile curved onto Zwingli's lips. "Gilbert Beilschmidt disliked Niklas Edelstein, but the feeling was mutual. It was mainly caused by Edelstein's superiority complex. Those two were like oil and water. It's the same with Roderich…"

"Roderich dislikes Gilbert as well?" Yao thought he had hidden that impressively when he'd spoken to him.

"Well, as you can imagine, the Edelstein family kept more contact with their employees than I ever would," Giuliano graciously touched his chest whilst wearing the same, thoughtful smile. "Yes, Roderich dislikes him, as does that fiancée of his. He and Gilbert are two very different people, and their personalities have always clashed whenever they've spoken to one another. I'm surprised Edelstein the Younger never mentioned this to you?"

"His mind was elsewhere, aru," Yao lied.

"Perhaps it's Gilbert Beilschmidt who did Niklas in, then?" Giuliano mused. "I don't mean to sound like I'm enjoying this – I'm not. However, it would be good to see justice happen…"

"I agree," Yao's pen hovered over his notebook. "Is Gilbert Beilschmidt the type of person to start and finish a job, rather than collect several?"

"Hmm, let me think," Giuliano's brow furrowed. "It really depends on the situation. Gilbert Beilschmidt is an easily distracted soul, so if he's doing a task that hasn't caught his full enthusiasm, his attention will wander elsewhere. As for a task he _does_ enjoy? I would say he would be able to take it to the end."

"Did he enjoy cleaning?" Yao lowered his pen to paper, ready to write.

"He loved cleaning," Giuliano answered and Yao scribbled that down.

"Would you say he was attentive?" Yao asked. "Is he the type of person to answer his phone?"

"He wasn't a paranoid, if that's what you mean," Giuliano replied. "I think he would answer his phone. He's a very fast paced person, so he tends to live in the moment and doesn't focus on what happens around him."

"Thank you," Yao snapped his book shut. "You've been a great help."

Giuliano stood and shook Yao's hand. "Anything for the Private Investigator. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your case, would I?"

Yao smiled just as Giuliano flashed him another white toothed grin. "Of course. I hope you enjoy the rest of your golfing session."

"I will, I will," Giuliano lifted his golf club from the table. "Basch, see Detective Wang to the door."

Without a word, the young man stood and walked towards the door. Yao hurriedly ran after him, lifting a hand to Giuliano as he did so. There was no sign of the daughter, but the son was already opening the door before Yao had a proper chance to look around.

"Bye," Zwingli's son muttered. "I'll have the gates opened for you."

"Thanks," Yao wasn't sure why he was receiving a curt tone, but could only assume the young man lacked his father's charisma – it was usually the case.

The conversation ended there, because Yao, with his newfound evidence and information, strode from the house. The door slammed shut behind him, and the gates were already opening by the time he reached the Old Civic. Yao drove away from the Zwingli household with a new purpose: find Gilbert Beilschmidt.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Who would've known that Gilbert, one of the most noticeable people ever, would be so difficult to find? As it happens, he is. I actually really liked writing this chapter! I think it may have something to do with the small steps of progress Yao's making... What do you guys think? Leave a review! I love to hear everyone's thoughts!_

 _Until next time!_


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** _What day is it today? It's Wednesday. What's the weather like? It's raining. It's the end of July and it's raining. Welcome to the UK, world. And why is XOs actually posting a little earlier than usual? I think I may have said so in my previous A/N last chapter, but I'll say it again anyway. It's my birthday today! I turn eighteen, and can finally be considered an adult! That's why all of you are being given this extra chapter, because your support is the equivalent of a birthday gift and I couldn't ask for anything more. Thank you very much for keeping with **The Musical Massacre** , and have a good day. Hopefully, it's not raining where all of you are, because apparently summer was only a week long here in England... _

_Without further ado, the extra chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

Yong Soo finished school earlier that day, because his academic term had broken up for the Christmas holidays. Yao picked him up straight from school at around one, and brought him back to the Honda ramen bar for lunch. It was there that they feasted on the precious noodles, waiting for Mei to finish her workday. Now that Yong Soo had finished with school, it seemed Yao would be able to do more investigative searches with promised backup. It also meant he would see twice as much of Yong as he usually did.

It had been a week since he'd seen the Target. It was strange how occupied this case had gotten him. Not once had he heard about or caught sight of the mysterious masked man; Yao believed that, like last time, the case would go stale for a while, only to peak once more when he least expected it.

Yong Soo had been short of paper money, and since the Honda bar didn't accept cards for their quick ramen, he had been forced to change to the same pork ramen Yao ate.

"I only have ninety-five left," Yong held the little coins in his palm. "Here, Kiku, have a tip."

"I usually don't accept tips, but thank you…" Kiku took the money and dropped it into his pocket before turning towards more customers.

"That's me done for the week," Yong Soo laughed nervously. "I guess I'll just have to turn to my bank account. I'll probably head on over there tomorrow…"

Yao found it amazing how Yong Soo could freely talk about money. It wasn't a problem for him. Every week, he was guaranteed a safe twenty pounds from his parents – a safe supply of money that was unlikely to ever run out, since the Im family were successful. Yao could only envy someone like Yong Soo. He wished he had parents to ensure he always had funds coming in. As well as a well-stocked bank account. That would be nice…

After dwindling for hours at the ramen bar, Mei finally arrived after a long day of work. Yao always wondered what getting another job alongside his Private Investigator's career would be like, but whenever he saw how time consuming Kiku's job was, he was put off. He wanted to put as much into his cases as he could, without an outside force directing his life.

"Where are we going today?" Mei leant against the bar.

"I think we need to go back to the Edelstein household," Yao admitted. "From the sounds of it, Niklas Edelstein wasn't especially friendly with this Beilschmidt man…"

"What more can Edelstein tell us?" Mei huffed.

"Well, I was at Giuliano Zwingli's yesterday," Yao said. "He told me a little about what Gilbert Beilschmidt was like, aru. Apparently, he liked cleaning, so I wouldn't say he hated his job. On the idea that he truly is the murderer, this is probably something more personal. From what we've been told about Niklas, he treated his employees as inferiors. Beilschmidt wasn't the type of person to stand for that, aru."

"Does that really make it necessary to _murder_ someone, though?" Mei looked sceptical.

"Not necessarily," Yao sighed. "I think it depends on the person… Which is why we need to find Gilbert Beilschmidt himself. He's the only one who can truly answer the questions we have, aru. If there's one person who will know where he is, it's Roderich Edelstein. I'm sure he has some personal addresses, and more."

"The last time we were there, Aniki, Roderich Edelstein kicked you out of the house," Yong Soo twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Will he let us back in?"

"If he _truly_ wants to find out who murdered his father, he'll have to, aru," Yao said. "He might not be happy about co-operating, but I think he will either way."

"To the Edelstein household it is, then," Mei pushed away from the bar and waited patiently by the doorway.

"Hmm, perhaps I could offer some advice before you leave," Kiku raised his ladle to draw Yao's attention.

"What is it, aru?" he asked.

"Try not to be so blunt," Kiku said, wincing. "Remember, it's difficult to lose someone through natural causes – it's even harder if a death is premature due to outside forces. If you use more indirect questions that ease off on the emotion, Roderich and Elizabeta will be easier to talk to."

"Thanks, Kiku," he said, mid-way in the doorway. "I'll take that into account when speaking to them…"

He wasn't sure if a gentle approach was what was really required, but Kiku's advice was usually correct. It was difficult to ask questions concerning suspicions on those you loved. However, the topic of today was something considerably easier to mention. Gilbert Beilschmidt was a safe topic that didn't touch on the idea of Roderich's fiancée being the killer. Yao suspected that was the main reason his client had wanted to end the conversation there and then. He had breached a place that hadn't wanted to be touched, and Roderich had refused to believe in any possibility. It was perfectly understandable. Why would _anyone_ be content to hear someone they loved be accused so blatantly?

However, Elizabeta Hédeváry was no longer the main suspect. It was Gilbert Beilschmidt. That would be something to take his client's mind off their previous conversation.

Yao unlocked the car and his team piled in. As usual, Yong Soo had failed to claim his front seat. He started the Old Civic's engine and reversed away from the Honda ramen bar. Taking a sharp turn, he started the laborious drive to the Edelstein city edge manor.

The car stopped just beside the fountain, just as it had last time. With a sigh, and silent prayer that this would go right, Yao stepped out of the car and approached the door once more. He lifted the knocker, frozen cold by the weather, and dropped it harshly against the solid oak doors. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he blew out a deep breath, and watched the cloud dissipate into the wind. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the clouds of breath puffing from a cold Mei and Yong Soo. They were left with a considerable wait before someone opened the door at last.

Yao wondered if it was some kind of silent punishment from last time, but how would Roderich Edelstein know who was at his door? He made a mental note to check for cameras on the way out. At the door stood the butler from before, his facial expression impassive. It seemed that an individual needed to offend the family at a much greater level to receive the glowering treatment. Giuliano Zwingli must've done something bad enough to the family.

"Ah, I assume you are here to see the Young Master?" the butler asked, and Yao nodded. "This way. He was expecting your return at some point."

Yao wasn't sure how he was supposed to interpret that, but he followed the butler nevertheless. The four of them wandered through the house, turning down corridors until the sound of piano drifting through the air could be heard. Yao felt the music to be strangely uplifting. The butler paused before a door that was left slightly ajar. The music was coming from within that room.

Softly, the butler played his knuckles across the door in a short, insistent rhythm, something that seemed strangely practised.

The piano playing instantly stopped. "Hello?"

"The Detective would like to see you," the butler said.

There was a pause, and a wait. It left Yao to question whether Roderich would even speak to him. He needed to have this conversation to progress.

"Come in," there was the sound of a shutting piano lid, and the voice's tone? Yao had to guess resignation.

Taking a quiet, yet deep breath, Yao pushed the door open wider and saw Roderich seated before a grand piano. The mid-afternoon sun shone straight into the room, with all its wide windows overlooking the grounds below that dipped down with a terrace and the house itself was surrounded by the same thick, tall hedge as in the front. The orange glow that cascaded into the room was both soft and intense at the same time. Yao imagined it was probably very scenic with the music in the room.

"Detective Wang," Roderich was sitting at the piano still, but he'd angled his body to face the doorway.

"Hello, Mr Edelstein," Yao said. "I'd just like to ask a few questions concerning Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"Oh?" his face expression changed from vague hostility to surprise. "Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"Yes," he folded his arms. "We couldn't contact his phone, aru."

"At all?" Roderich's dark brows knitted together.

Yao shook his head.

"Do you… have the file with you?" his client asked. "I was sure that all information within it was accurate, but if I need to look over a few things…"

"That shouldn't be necessary, aru," Yao wandered into the room to glance out the window. "The number was correct, I would say. What _isn't_ right is that Beilschmidt no longer seems to be using that phone…"

"What?" Roderich frowned. "As in…?"

"There's a chance he got rid of his previous phone, but I'm not one for jumping to conclusions," Yao said. "In other words, it would be good to know his address."

"The locations of our employees are very confidential," Roderich stood. "They're kept in a different folder entirely. However, if Gilbert Beilschmidt is truly someone you're looking into, I suppose I can get you the documents."

"It's important we see and speak to him," Yao said. "If that's possible."

"Very well, then," Roderich breezed past Yong and Mei, who had positioned themselves near the door and out of the way. His footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Yao met the other two in the centre of the room.

"Is it true that we've nearly found the culprit?" Yong Soo spoke in a loud whisper, the amazement on his face undisguised.

"Possibly, aru," Yao murmured in response.

Mei said nothing, just kept her gaze locked on the windows outside. Something still seemed to be bothering her, but Yao knew that asking her would get him nowhere. She was cryptic and preferred not to share details.

They dispersed around the room, taking in every little detail they could. Roderich was back within moments, a plastic folder in his hands. He laid it across the piano lid, and rifled through, until he came across a thin, single sheet of paper. Yao held out his hand for it, but Roderich didn't offer it towards him.

"I'd prefer if you took a picture, actually," he admitted. "I'm not one for giving away direct and personal details… A phone number is one thing, an address is something completely different…"

"That's fine," Yao took out his phone and stood beside Roderich, holding the device's camera over the address. "Us Investigasians respect the wishes of our client, aru."

As he was taking the photo, Yao noticed something on the sheet of paper that couldn't be left ignored.

"A suspension," he commented. "What was Beilschmidt suspended for? How long ago was this?"

"Oh, he had an argument with my father about starting a music career of his own," Roderich said absently. "It got a little bit rowdy, but nothing violent happened. He almost quit on the spot, but my father persuaded him to have a suspension where he could think things through."

"Did your father not want Beilschmidt to enter the music industry, aru?" Yao frowned.

"From what I've heard, Gilbert Beilschmidt isn't _good_ enough to enter the music industry," Roderich replied. "I've had the exact same conversation with him, but he let it drop that time…"

"He wanted to start his own musical career," Yao murmured, snapping a photo of the address. "That's interesting, aru."

"Is it?" there was hope in his client's voice. "I suppose you notice things better than I do."

Yao patiently watched as Roderich tucked the piece of paper back into the plastic wallet.

"As for when it happened…" the Young Master paused in thought. "I think… about three or four months ago."

"So, quite recent, then, aru?" Yao put that piece of evidence in his notebook. "I see…"

"Ja, I guess," Roderich stared at the plastic wallet, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Thanks, aru, but one more thing," Yao said. "Did Gilbert Beilschmidt _like_ his job?"

Roderich frowned and let out a long sigh. "Did he like his job? He always looked content and cheerful when he was working, and he often spoke to people he passed by."

"What about your father?" Yao asked.

"My father?" Roderich's eyes flicked to him. "As in, did Gilbert Beilschmidt like my father? Not really. But the feeling was mutual. My father disliked him, too."

"Right; thank you very much, aru," Yao dropped his notebook into his pocket, and let his phone join it.

Without another word said to one another, Roderich guided them to the door, rather than the butler. Yao's mind was focused on the given address as he piled into the Old Civic with his team. This was their biggest lead yet. All they needed to do was speak to Gilbert Beilschmidt and that could be their possible conclusion. Yao could envision it. If they were careful about their tactics, then they could frighten him into confessing. He liked the idea of that. He was sure it would work.

Yong Soo was sharing his enthusiasm. "I can't believe we've _almost_ got the culprit! This is amazing, Aniki."

"I know right, aru," Yao smiled to himself. "That seven hundred and fifty quid is closer than ever."

Never once had his mind drifted away from the money. It had been his inspiration for this entire case. Without the money, his enthusiasm and motivation probably would've dropped, especially when working with infuriating musical divas like Roderich Edelstein. However, this would make him the richest he'd ever been in his entire life, save those blissful days when he lived with his parents. It was an incredible thought. Solving a murder case would also draw in a higher range of customers. His career would be booming.

However, someone in the car seemed to be lacking the same vigour and life as they were. He glanced briefly to his side to see Mei still wore a look of uncertainty.

"What's your problem, aru?" he asked.

"Me?" Yong Soo sounded hurt.

"No," he said. "Mei."

"Me?" she murmured. "I don't know. I feel like this is too soon, right?"

"Not really, aru," he shrugged. "This case has gone on for five days. In the aspect of crime, that's a significant time to get away with snuffing out the flames of another human's life. Two weeks usually makes a cold case. Any notable time longer, and the police force stop pretending there's a chance of anything else being found, aru."

She was silent for a moment. Yao wondered if she believed anything he'd said, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see her head bobbing. It seemed enough to keep her in the case – if that's what he really wanted. If Mei left, he'd get a little bit of the overall portions back. Yet, so far, she'd proved to be perfectly handy.

He kept monitoring the GPS system as he drove, given to him by Kiku for his birthday. Sometimes, they were stuck in a cruel traffic, other times freely speeding along vacant roads. It was getting darker by the minute, the sky overhead morphing into inky blackness. The stars came out the more rural they went. How far did Gilbert Beilschmidt live? How could he be so willing to drive at least an hour just to do a few hours of work? It made little sense to Yao.

The GPS finally turned him onto a secluded cul-de-sac and to a stop before one of the houses. Yao paused, hands on the wheel whilst the engine hummed. The lights in the house appeared to be off and there was no car in the drive.

"Suspicious," Yao turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.

The three of them made a quiet walk down the cobblestone and up to the front door, which was painted a pretty, pearly white. Yao raised a fist and hammered on the door, a frown on his face. Was life really going to dash his hopes like this?

"I don't know, Yao…" Mei glanced around, doubt in her eyes. "I don't think he's here."

"We'll check with the neighbours," Yao backed up and hurried along the side to another house. This time, his team chose not to follow him.

He knocked gently on this door, seeing the lights inside behind curtains. He waited as the door opened to reveal an elderly woman.

"Hello?" she said.

"Oh, hello," he replied. "I, um, just wanted to ask about your neighbour, um… Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"Oh, Gilbert," concern appeared in her features. "Has something happened to him?"

"No, no, nothing like that, aru," Yao hoped. "Actually, I was wondering when he'd be back."

The old woman leant against her doorway and peered out slightly to look over at Gilbert's house, where Mei and Yong Soo were trying not to look suspicious. They looked extremely suspicious.

"He's been gone almost a week now, so I can't say I know the answer to that one," the neighbour replied with a frown.

"Gone a week?" Yao glanced at her once more. "When exactly did he leave, do you know, aru?"

"Saturday evening," she answered. "Myself and my husband noticed the headlights on his car, and then he was suddenly driving away. He's hasn't made an appearance since."

"Saturday evening…" Yao murmured. "I see. Well, thank you, aru. Thank you very much."

The old woman nodded and closed the door as he retreated back down the drive, joining Mei and Yong Soo on the pavement beside the car.

"He randomly disappeared," Yao explained. "I think we need to check his house through, aru."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Mei's eyes bugged out. "I'm not breaking and entering into someone's house."

"This is an official detective agency," Yao rolled his eyes. "We _do_ have the rights to investigate houses."

"Only with their permission," she countered. "I'm not sneaking into someone's house."

"It's OK, I'm sure Officer Arsehole would let Harlot Mei go without a dent in her personal records," Yong Soo chuckled.

She glowered at him before turning her attention back to Yao. "Besides, how would we even sneak in? We don't have keys, there's no open windows and it's still early enough for people to be awake."

"That's simple, Mei," Yao stepped into the car. "We'll come back later and I'll show you something really cool, aru."

"It's probably illegal," she fretted. "We could get arrested for this. That old woman is probably keeping an eye out for when we come back."

"Stop worrying about nothing, aru," Yao clucked his tongue. "You're being ridiculous."

"We're acting like criminals," she bit her nail.

"Relax," Yao smirked. "I've done this many times and never once have I been caught, aru."

* * *

 **A/N:** _They fine his house, but the Janitor is not present? What's the meaning of this? Will the Investigasians and get inside Beilschmidt's house, and if they do... what will they find? Until next time!_


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** _Hello, everyone! I'm back again with the weekly update, now that I'm officially an "adult"- however, I don't think anything has really changed... Thank you for all the support for Investigasians, as we've officially moved past Chapter 10! I'm really enjoying writing this Fic, and I hope that people like reading it just as much._

 _A quick shoutout to **totallyignorable** for the support and love for The Musical Massacre! I love getting reviews and hearing what people think, so keep up the reviews everyone and thank you so much!_

 _Without further ado, the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

* * *

"This is a criminal act," Mei said from the passenger seat.

Not a single streetlight was lit. It was too late for that. They were all dressed in their darkest clothes, and Yao had come prepared for what they were about to do. Unfortunately, due to the hour, Yong Soo had been unable to accompany them. Whilst he'd kicked up a fuss about that at the time, Yao had downright refused to involve him in something that could potentially have them arrested. He knew Mrs Im would definitely have had something to say about that; something that would earn him more than just a few years behind bars. Officer Kirkland wouldn't intervene, either. He had enemies in powerful places and he wasn't about to risk his own career just so Yong Soo could accompany him on their late night missions. The only late night thing he'd let his young sidekick join in on was the chase of the Target.

"Shut up, aru," he scowled at her. "I suppose you could wait in the car, but you'd be easily spotted."

"I'm not going to sit in the car," she got out with him and slammed the door shut. "I'm going in."

"Quiet down, otherwise the whole neighbourhood will wake up," he hissed.

"They're all old – they won't without their hearing aids," however, she lowered her voice nevertheless.

Yao snuck along Gilbert Beilschmidt's driveway and hovered by the door, glancing around before he took a hairpin from his jacket pocket. He saw Mei's eyes bug out as he twisted and shaped it, sticking it into the lock, wiggling it, and smiling when the click of the unlocking door snapped in place.

"Where did you learn that and _why_?" she frowned. "Have you committed criminal acts before?"

"No, actually, aru, not really," Yao said. "I had a friend at uni who always locked himself out of his apartment when he was pissed, aru. I had to learn to pick locks for him, otherwise he'd always be hanging around my place with a raging hangover."

"Right," she sounded sceptical, but Yao decided to leave her to believe what she wanted to believe.

He pushed open the door into a dark hallway. The house was cold, as if nothing had lived in it for some time. Yao could only assume that that was because that was truly the case. There was a sense of lonely abandonment within the house. Mei seemed to detect that, too, because she shuddered as she followed him inside. He closed the door behind him – leaving it open was just plain disrespectful, but would also draw attention to anyone having a midnight stroll. Rather than turn on the lights, he brought up the flashlight on his phone.

"If he's not here, what exactly are we looking for?" Mei asked darkly. "I don't want to get arrested for no reason. In fact... I'm not wholly sure I even want him to be here."

"If the police come, you're here to break down and convince Kirkland we had no other choice unless we wanted the case to go stale," Yao muttered in response. "I'm sure he'll listen to _you_ , aru."

"I flatter him once and now you believe he's head over heels in love with me?" she rolled her eyes. "As if. His ego inflated and he sucked the compliment up like a sponge. I think he just finds me different to you and Yong Soo, if I'm honest."

To an extent that was true. Officer Arsehole had shown no particular dislike towards Lei when the pair had spoken. However, Yao just found the concept of Harlot Mei amusing and wanted to keep it up. He knew they wouldn't get caught.

They rooted around the house, checking obvious spots like the kitchen and the living room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Gilbert Beilschmidt may not have lived the life of luxury, but the homely essence of the little house couldn't be replicated anywhere else in the city.

Yao was the first of the two to take initiative and go upstairs to check out his room. He found something even he hadn't expected.

"Mei, come here," he called, and she hurried up the stairs.

The room looked like it had been flipped upside down and shaken around a little. Clothes that had been hastily grabbed were strewn across the bed, and drawers had been left open. An alarm clock had been knocked off the side table and was broken.

"My Arumeter is usually correct, and it's telling me Beilschmidt left in a rush," Yao's eyes scanned the room once again. "That certainly calls for a guilty conscious, aru."

"I… just wow…" Mei looked pale as she looked around the room. "Are you sure he wasn't attacked?"

Yao glanced at her. "I don't know why you're so reluctant to believe he didn't do it. This is the real world, Mei, not a game anymore, aru. It's possible to find the culprit in good time, aru. This definitely wasn't a scuffle, because it has the appearance of things having been taken."

"The point is, Gilbert Beilschmidt isn't here," Mei shrugged. "He's long gone. How are we supposed to talk to him when he's taken flight?"

"We need to get Lei as soon as," Yao grabbed his phone and raced down the stairs.

"What?" she followed after him. "What's Lei going to do about this?"

"He's going to track him down," Yao answered.

"I hate to say this, but Lei isn't a member of the authorities," she said. "There's only so many files he's allowed to access."

"Permission is certainly a key element to this…" Yao leapt down the last few steps and threw open the front door. "I think you underestimate Lei's abilities."

"He's good at computer science, yeah," she closed the front door behind her and slid into the passenger seat as he started the engine. "He analyses what's given to him. There's a limit to what people can do, so don't-"

"He can _hack_ , Mei," Yao rolled away from Beilschmidt's house and turned away into the empty road. "That's what he's handy for, aru. Hold the phone for me."

He handed his device to her and she drew it up to her ear and waited.

"It's midnight," she said. "It'll be a miracle if he answers."

"If he's got his headphones on too loud he won't hear a thing," Yao sighed. "With any luck he's keeping his phone close to him."

"Oh, he answered," she gawked. "Uh, hi, it's Mei. What do we want?"

"You know what we want, aru."

"Oh, well, umm…" she swallowed nervously. "Yao would like you to do your… you know… special ability."

"Why are you treating him like a Pokémon?" Yao huffed. "Put him on a loudspeaker. You're useless at this."

With a scowl, Mei set the phone on loud speaker and held it between them.

"Lei? You hear me?" Yao said as he drove, turning off the radio completely.

"Yeah," his voice sounded a little grainy from the phone, but that was to be expected when on loudspeaker. "Enlighten me on what my 'special ability' is."

"Alright, I need you to track down all the accounts leading to a Gilbert Beilschmidt," Yao said.

"How the fuck do you spell that?" Lei chuckled. "I've got a pen."

"B. E… I. L. S. C. H. M. I. D. T," Yao said from memory of all the files he'd assessed. "He's the _other_ janitor. He's done a runner from his house, aru."

"Well, this'll be interesting," Lei murmured. "I'll track his phone calls as well as any credit cards, etc. I should have him pinned in no time if he's been casual about his accounts."

"Great," Yao grinned, and noticed Mei's ashen, wide eyed stare. "Lei… would you say what you're doing is completely illegal, aru?"

"Absolutely," Lei's answer came without hesitation.

"See, Mei?" Yao smirked. "Us Investigasians don't give a crap about what methods we turn to, aru."

"Wow, just wow," she sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever. I'm too in deep to turn you guys into the police. Besides, I want to find Beilschmidt too, and if this is the best way to do it, then fine."

"Alright, thanks, Lei," Yao said. "Get back to me when you've found him or at least a trail."

"No problem," Lei said and disconnected the call.

"Right," Yao said. "I'll drop you off home."

"Don't," she said. "There's a train right here."

Yao puffed out his cheeks. "Won't that cost? I'm offering you a free lift and you're turning it down, aru?"

"Yeah," she put a hand to the door handle, adamant with her decision.

Yao pulled the car to the side and waited patiently as she stepped out, her train card in hand. With a frown, he watched her walk away without even glancing over her shoulder. She'd left his phone on the passenger seat, screen blank. Yao drummed his fingers on the dashboard, but knew there was no pondering about it. What Mei wanted to do, Mei did, and if there wasn't an explanation, then there never would be one. He needed to start accepting that more and more.

Yao drove the rest of the way to the Honda Ramen Bar. Since he was one of the few people to own keys to the place, he was able to unlock the door and quietly sneak upstairs to the room he shared with Kiku. His friend was fast asleep after a long day of working. Yao crawled under the sheets of his own bed and closed his eyes, exhausted after a busy day of work. That was quite nice to say. He'd had a _busy day of work_. He smiled to himself as his mind submerged into his subconscious.

The following morning, Yao was mildly surprised to find Yong Soo waiting for him. However, he had to quickly recall that Yong had now finished with school for now, and would be available for services for a much longer period of time. He had to guess the student had gone to the effort of riding his bike to the Honda Ramen Bar as soon as he could, rather than wait for a lift.

"Hey, Aniki," Yong beamed. "What are we up to today?"

"Well, I'm still waiting for Lei to get back to me on some information about Beilschmidt, aru," Yao seated himself beside Yong. "I've put him up for one of his 'searches'."

"Ah," Yong Soo nodded in understanding. "But what should _we_ do? I assume that means we can't do anything about Beilschmidt for now…"

"There are a couple things we can look into," Yao shrugged. "Roderich Edelstein said there should've been a pen on his father's person, aru. As far as we're concerned, there was no pen found on his body of the crime scene. We're also missing sheet music, and what gun was used. We also can't assume the clippers were found in the music theatre, aru. We need to know for sure about those…"

"In other words, we've got more to do than I thought?" Yong Soo pondered.

Kiku paused in his activity and cast Yao a glance. "Have you really ruled it down to one person already?"

"What do you mean, aru?" Yao frowned.

"Well, are you certain the culprit is this Beilschmidt you talk of?" Kiku stirred a pot of ramen noodles thoughtfully.

"I guess so," Yao shrugged. "So far, the evidence points to him."

"Another thing you need to think about is if that evidence could rapidly change," Kiku warned. "You haven't heard a single statement from this Beilschmidt character. You can't just assume he won't have any means for defending himself."

"Oh," Yao frowned. "If you put it like that, then…"

"What?" Yong Soo leant a little closer.

"We could technically talk to Giuliano Zwingli and learn about his whereabouts the time Niklas Edelstein died, aru," Yao suggested. "There were also plans to tail Elizabeta Hédeváry."

" _What_?" Yong's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, just like in the TV shows."

"You want to do _that_?" Yao said hesitantly. "I don't know, Yong. You have to be _extremely_ stealthy when it comes to following people, and I'm not sure you're as subtle as what's required, aru."

"But, Aniki…" Yong begged. "That sounds _really_ interesting."

"Hang on, before we start tailing our client's fiancée, I think we should speak to Giuliano Zwingli first," Yao reasoned, desperate to put off angering Roderich. "I think that'll be a bit more productive without Mei, aru."

"You want to tail Hédeváry with Mei around?" Yong looked disappointed.

"No, not that," Yao said. "I just feel Zwingli's statement would be important, aru. Thanks for that thought, Kiku."

"You'd have turned to it eventually," Kiku smiled. "But it's honestly not a problem. Good luck with your investigation."

"Thanks," Yao said, as he and Yong headed towards the door.

It had only grown colder. Saturday had seen a sudden drop in temperature. Yao was fairly sure the time for wearing hats was approaching. He'd opted for a scarf today. He threw open the car door and dropped into his seat, putting the car into ignition. The engine rumbled, full of life, as Yong Soo buckled himself in. The trip to Giuliano Zwingli's wouldn't be short, so he allowed his thoughts to drift.

What if Kiku was right? What if there was a possibility that Gilbert Beilschmidt turned out to be an innocent man? Mei seemed to have been having misgivings, but could Yao really trust her judgement? Sure, she had a creative imagination, and that was helpful. It was also undeniable that her childhood talents as an investigator hadn't withered away. She had slipped back into her element, seemingly unaffected by what was happening around her. And she had also doubted Gilbert Beilschmidt was the killer. Yet he, a trained professional through years of experience, believed that it could still end with Mr Beilschmidt. Unlike Mei and her childhood reflections, he was sensible enough to realise a crime could end. Yet the question remained clear: had he made the right deduction?

As he pulled into the drive of the Zwingli household, he was surprised to see they were not Giuliano's only guests. Elizabeta Hédeváry hurried down the main staircase, Mr Zwingli standing in the doorway with a hand raised. She looked angry and frustrated – _desperate_ , even. As he pulled his car to a stop, she raised her head, keys in hand and other palm pressed to the side of her car as she fumbled with the door.

Yao stepped out of the car and nodded towards her. "Miss Hédeváry."

"Detective Wang," she swallowed. "How good to know you're working diligently on this case…"

"Thanks, aru," he watched as she hastily jumped to the wheel and jerked the car backwards, leaving in a sudden rush.

Merely out of curiosity, Yao watched the car drive away.

"She's a tough woman to understand," Giuliano appeared by his side, nodding towards the retreating car. "I honestly wonder…"

"What was Miss Hédeváry doing here?" Yao turned to him with a frown, alarm bells ringing in his head.

"What was she _doing_ here?" Giuliano looked surprised. "She dropped by to ask some questions. Unfriendly questions, I'll admit, but questions either way."

"I see," Yao watched as Giuliano gave a light hearted shrug before gesturing towards his grandiose manor.

"I assume you're also here to ask some questions of your own, Detective. If that's the case, I'm happy as always to answer them."

"Yes, aru," Yao followed the wealthy Mr Zwingli into his house, Yong Soo trailing after them.

He couldn't help but have the gut feeling that Zwingli's answer was a little flimsy. The lack of detail was one thing; Miss Hédeváry's behaviour as she fled the scene was another thing entirely.

Giuliano Zwingli didn't waste time providing his guests with what they needed. He made sure they had a glass of wine each and invited them both to play a short game of golf. His desire, as he casually explained to Yao and Yong Soo, was to be able to stand from his porch and get a 'Hole-in-One'. That was why he spent hours each day batting golf ball after golf ball towards the green, optimistic and determined. He had already achieved it many times, but he wanted his shot to be flawless- to _never_ miss.

"So, Detective Wang," Giuliano turned to them, golf club in hand. "What kind of questions did you have in mind?"

"I want to know where you were on Friday night and Saturday morning," Yao twiddled the glass he held in his hand as he carefully assessed the man. "Particularly one-thirty in the morning."

Giuliano coughed in disbelief and turned to him. "I was asleep. What do I look like to you? A young, hip and energetic twenty year old? I'm fifty-one; nowadays, I need to rest these ageing bones."

"Is there anyone who can provide an alibi for this?" Yao asked.

"My daughter and my house staff," Giuliano said.

"What about your son?" Yong Soo frowned. "You have a son, don't you?"

"Yes, but he's not here at this exact moment," Giuliano glanced between them. "However, he could also attest as an alibi when he's back."

"Can I speak with your daughter?" Yao set his barely touched wine glass on the table.

"Yes, yes, of course," Giuliano Zwingli waved a dismissive hand, then cast a doubtful glance. "Just be quick, because she's in the middle of a tutoring session. Meanwhile, I want to help _you_ work on your swing."

" _Me_?" Yong Soo frowned.

"Yeah, you have an awkward hold on it," Zwingli said, and Yao wandered off into the house to find Miss Zwingli.

Whilst he was alone, he took the opportunity to take a reasonable look around. There were so many golfing trophies here that Yao found it difficult Zwingli had rivalled Niklas Edelstein in _music_. However, the man seemed to have a variety of talents. Yao stumbled upon the tutoring room, where the girl was in the middle of her lesson. It was a Saturday. It seemed Giuliano Zwingli was a ruthless man when it came to education.

"Oh, hello, Detective," the girl said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Um, yeah, actually," Yao frowned, casting a brief glance towards the tutor. "I need to ask you some questions about your father."

Uncomfortable looks appeared on both their faces, but the tutor stood and fled from the room, not wanting to disturb what was about to happen. Yao carefully sat a couple chairs away from her.

"Miss Zwingli," he said. "Was your father home at around one-thirty in the morning, last Saturday?"

"Last _Saturday_?" her brows knitted together. "Um, I can't say I know for sure. He was in the house when I went to bed, and nothing woke me in the night to imply anyone left the house. I'm sorry… I was asleep at the time, so if something happened, there's a chance I wouldn't have noticed…"

"I see," Yao said. "I've heard a lot, and I want to know something… Is it true that your father and Niklas Edelstein didn't get on well?"

Her eyes drifted across the room as she thought up her answer. "I… Yes, they didn't get along… I… I wouldn't say it was enough for either to kill each other, though…"

"Miss Zwingli, in no way am I accusing your father of-"

She extended a hand towards him to lightly pat his shoulder, with a smile on her face. "It's OK, Detective Wang. I understand that everyone is a potential suspect. Even me. All I need is the faith in my father that he wasn't involved in this. That's all I need. I'm sure there are many staff around the house who will be able to answer the questions I can't."

"Th-thanks," he found it difficult to see why she was so understanding, compared to Roderich, who had flipped a switch at the mention of his fiancée being guilty. "Was your father aware that Niklas Edelstein was celebrating his sixtieth birthday at a party Roderich and his fiancée had organised the night he died?"

"My father mentioned something like that," she said in thought. "So… yes. I would say he was _aware_. However, he never received an invite, so had something to complain about."

"Complain?" Yao frowned. "If the two disliked one another, why would he be agitated about not being invited?"

She smiled again. "My father is a very proud and self-important man. There were many prestigious people supposedly going to be present at Niklas Edelstein's birthday party, and it was a lost opportunity to meet them. That's why he was complaining. As I said, ask the staff around the house. The night guards would probably be the most useful in this case, as they most certainly would be awake."

"Oh, thank you very much, Miss Zwingli," Yao stood and gently shook hands with her. "You've been of great help to this investigation."

"My pleasure, Detective Wang," she said. "If there's any other way I can be of help, just ask, and I'll be happy to answer."

Yao left the room after that.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Will Yao find something from the night guards to prove Beilschmidt's innocence? Is Giuliano hiding something behind that winner's smile? And what about Elizabeta- what is she up to? Find out..._

 _...after the **9th August**! Yes, I would just like to take the time to say that I'm going on holiday and won't be back until the 9th. I will be honest with you; I won't be getting anything done so there won't be any results to show on the 9th, and it may be that I won't have a chapter until the 12th. So, I'm terribly sorry, but until then, I shall have to pause the investigation... Just thought I'd let you all know, whilst i disappear and go and enjoy my holiday!_

 _Until next time!_


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:** _Oh, wow, it's been a very long time, so it's really great to be posting again! As I revealed in the previous chapter, I was going on holiday! I went to Dubai and oh my it was really hot there. It was consistently around forty degrees Celsius, which I'm not used to! I was wearing factor 50 every day. Lucky they have a lot of air con over there. I had an awesome time, though, and it was such a throwback because I used to live in Abu Dhabi and we'd drive up to Dubai for a day trip at Wild Wadi. Even so, it's been 10 years since I was there, so suddenly there's a tram and a metro in Dubai that just wasn't there before. It's changed so much! There's a lot to do there- the Dubai Mall is so beautiful (all the architecture in Dubai is so well crafted) and we went up the Burj Khalifa to the 128th floor. It was so high and the lift was so fast. It barely took five minutes to get so high._

 _We wanted to go up the Burj al Arab for afternoon tea (because English people love tea, wherever in the world they are) but you had to be 21, because of drinking restrictions, which was unfortunate, but I hope to do that one day in my life!_

 _I'm back now, and have finally decided to post this next chapter. I was feeling very lazy across the week, so I didn't do much writing (as in, none) and I went out Friday. There we go, my weekly excuse is done!_

 _I actually came back to my sister and her boyfriend going old school with the band **Gorillaz** , and they introduced me to the story line concept the band have created. If you don't know Gorillaz, they released their first album in 2001 and they have familiar songs like 'DARE' and 'Feel Good Inc.'; they're alternative rock, I would say, although they don't really stick to one genre. If you're a music lover, check out their music videos. They have a chronological order, so I would advise looking that up (because I can't remember the order) and enjoy the stories and characters this band have created. It doesn't make 100% sense, but they're enjoyable to watch all the same. My favourite is Noodle!_

 _A quick shout out to **Poisonlilie** , for being a very supportive reviewer to **The Musical Massacre**! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews you've left on the story, and I really appreciate the support! As for everyone, I love hearing what you have to say! It makes my day, because I love writing and like seeing it when people enjoy what I've written. So thank you everybody, especially as Investigasians has reached **1,000 views**! Wow! Thank you so much for clicking on this Fic!_

 _Here it comes: without further ado, the next chapter of Investigasians! Thank you for being patient with my laziness._

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

After asking around the house, Yao finally located the night guards, who confirmed Giuliano Zwingli never left the house that night. Yao could safely say that Mr Zwingli was innocent of the crime, and that he'd never been involved. Some part of him was disappointed that there was no challenge, but another was relieved that he was one step closer to achieving the cash prize. He found his assistant with the man, still out back, playing golf.

"This boy has a natural swing once he knows what he's doing," Giuliano said when he saw Yao approaching. "Have you played golf before, Yong?"

"Not really," Yong Soo admitted. "When I was little, my father brought me to a golfing green for kids. I was terrible at it and we never went again."

"Hunting, then?" Giuliano smiled.

"Hunting?" Yong glanced at him. "Yes, my father taught me how to use a rifle. Does that have anything to do with golf?"

"Precision," Mr Zwingli nodded. "Although, it seems our Detective Wang would like to move on with his case. Did my daughter answer your questions?"

"Yes, she did, aru," Yao nodded. "Come on, Yong. We have a busy schedule ahead of us."

"OK," Yong Soo set down the golf club aside on the table. "Thank you, Mr Zwingli."

"Not a problem, kiddo," he patted Yong on the shoulder twice, and crammed the golf club into a bag alongside many others.

"Mr Zwingli, what was Elizabeta Hédeváry doing here?" Yao asked, remembering the expression of agitation on the young woman's face as she'd left.

Giuliano Zwingli inhaled deeply before raising his eyes to look at Yao. His earlier smile had vanished, only to be replaced with a thoughtful frown. Perhaps he'd hoped Yao would forget about the odd encounter with Roderich Edelstein's fiancée at the rival musician's house? Either way, he straightened up and plastered a smile across his face, one Yao knew was evidently fake.

"I told you," Giuliano said. "Unfriendly questions. She thinks I'm the culprit."

Yes, his smile was either fake or strained. Yao knew that, even if Mr Zwingli was telling the truth, it wasn't the entire truth. There was definitely something missing within his vague explanation. A proud, self-important man didn't act this way. Giuliano Zwingli had _something_ to hide…

"Thank you for your time, aru," Yao said, feeling the unfriendliness growing in the atmosphere. "We'll see ourselves out."

He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and began walking away, Yong Soo hurrying after him like a duckling does its mother. Yao cast a glance over his shoulder one more time to see the vacant, almost anxious expression on Giuliano Zwingli's face as he stared at nothing. The owner of the house made no attempt to see them all the way to the door. He didn't insist against Yao. He just did nothing. So Yao and Yong Soo left the house, closing the door behind them.

"What was _that_ for, Aniki?" Yong Soo glanced nervously at him as he drove. "What was the purpose of putting him on edge like that?"

"Because we need to know why Elizabeta Hédeváry was there," Yao said. "I need to know if this is some private, solo mission of her own, or if, for some bizarre reason, Roderich Edelstein sent her to do the dirty work for him."

"Giuliano Zwingli said Elizabeta was there to accuse him," Yong Soo replied.

"And Giuliano Zwingli was also acting strange about that, which means we can't hold his words to our hearts, Yong Soo," Yao sighed. "People _lie_ , and there are many reasons _why_ people lie, aru. I want to know why Giuliano Zwingli is lying, and why Elizabeta was there."

"The best person to ask would be Elizabeta, right?" Yong Soo looked hesitant.

"Maybe, but we're not going to do that," Yao said. "If she suspects we're even the slightest bit suspicious of her, she'll be watching her back constantly, which would make tailing her difficult, aru."

"So, for now, leave Miss Hédeváry?" Yong Soo frowned.

"Precisely," Yao said.

"But what are we supposed to do now?" Yong looked out the window. "We have little to no leads other than Gilbert Beilschmidt, and if we need to be careful about Elizabeta, we should have to wait a day."

"I haven't checked up on Lei about Beilschmidt, but he did say he'd contact if anything was found, aru," Yao said. "I hate to say this, but we're pretty stale today. My better judgement says to call it a day and wait until Lei gets back to us."

"Right," Yong Soo appeared a little crestfallen. "I really hope we find the killer."

"Of course we will," Yao risked a glance at him, and saw his sidekick seemed a little down. "We're the Investigasians, aru. We're a small but professional team who have a wide understanding of what we're dealing with. I know murder is another thing entirely compared to what we usually do, but that doesn't mean we can't handle it. You're not taking Officer Kirkland's words to heart, are you, aru?"

"What?" Yong Soo sounded surprised, but Yao's eyes were on the road.

"He's always criticising me," Yao shrugged. "You're not taking his words seriously, are you?"

"Of course not, Aniki," Yong Soo panicked. "It's just… I don't think we're out of our depth. In no way do I think that. I'm just worried there might be another murder."

"The fact that no other attempt of anyone's life has been made indicates the killer is very aware that we're on the lookout, aru," Yao explained. "It only makes it more likely, then, that the killer is someone Niklas Edelstein knew. That or, like Beilschmidt, they're not currently in the area."

"OK," Yong Soo nodded.

"I don't know about you, but I could really do with some ramen," Yao yawned.

"Oh, yes," Yong Soo brightened up considerably.

"By the way, Yong, did you drink the wine Giuliano Zwingli gave us?" Yao asked.

"Yeah, I did," his sidekick said without hesitation. "It was very nice of him to treat us like that."

"Do your parents let you drink?" Yao questioned.

"Oh," the casual tone left Yong's voice, only to be replaced by uncertainty. "On special occasions, yes. Like celebrations and birthdays."

"Right, well, no more drinking on the job," Yao instructed. "Understood?"

"Yes, Aniki…"

Mei wasn't particularly thrilled to hear the case had been put on temporary hold whilst they awaited Lei's results. At first, she had seemed reluctant to believe what Yao was saying, but then that had quickly changed to mild irritation that they couldn't follow Elizabeta around straight away.

"She's hardly a super spy," she complained. "She won't know we're following her in the slightest. I think you're overestimating her."

"I think you're _underestimating_ her," Yao countered. "She was a desperate woman the last we saw her, aru. She's also intelligent. If she knows anything about police and private investigators, then she'll have a strong idea of what comes next after her being spotted doing something suspicious."

"She was at the rival's house," Mei shrugged. "I don't know why you find it so hard to believe Mr Zwingli's words. It would be perfectly rational for her to freak out about being spotted at his house, despite only being there to demand answers about his involvement with Niklas Edelstein. You need to remember it's been a week since his death now, and there seems to be nothing about what's going on."

"That's because we can't tell people, aru," Yao huffed. "I think my disbelief in this is just the same as your reluctance to believe Gilbert Beilschmidt was the killer."

"It's not that I'm _reluctant_ , it's just…" she seemed caught off, lost for words, even.

"Drop it, OK?" Yao sighed. "We need to wait for Lei's signal."

"Right," Mei sat down with them at the bar.

"You know, Aniki, I currently don't have any cash on me," Yong Soo pleaded. "I'll pay you back. I _promise_."

"Fine, fine," Yao sighed. "What about you, Mei?"

"I'll pay for myself," she retorted.

For the entire conversation, Kiku had been standing, watching them, a tired expression written into his eyes. He smiled once they were ready to order, and seemed pleased when they went for their usual. Yao couldn't help but notice Mei only ordered her green tea. It seemed her first ramen at the Honda Ramen Bar had been her last.

In contented silence, they ate their ramen, until Yao deemed it was time to leave. As usual, Mei referred to her trains to get home, and he drove Yong Soo to his pretty residence. There was no further mention of discontinuing the investigation, even though he knew that neither Yong Soo nor Mei were particularly happy about that. Yao had been able to reason with himself that they could afford to spend a little time waiting.

* * *

Mei raised her phone to her ear. It was dark in the car, and since she'd turned the engine and lights off, she remained hidden amongst the bushes. In her lap was a little paper box of noodles she'd been ravenously eating whilst she waited, the phone poised in place. It rang for a while, but then suddenly picked up.

"Hello?" Yong Soo sounded worn and bleary compared to his usual energetic self.

"Yong, it's me, Mei," she said.

"I know," he yawned. "I just don't know why you're calling this late…"

"Because I'm outside the house waiting for you to get your ass out here," Mei snapped, and saw him appear at his window. "You won't see me; I'm hidden in the dark."

"I think I see a car in the bushes," he commented.

" _Humour_ me, Yong," she hissed. "Just come outside."

"What if my parents hear me?" he whispered.

"That's your problem," she replied. "Learn to be stealthy. And if you _do_ get caught, it wasn't me who wanted you to come outside, got it?"

"R-right," he said, and she disconnected the call before he could say anything else.

Mei busied herself with eating the noodles whilst she waited for Yong. It was cold in the car, and she wanted to start it up again so she could feel the warm air on her face again. She was dressed in a thick coat, scarf and gloves, and was fighting off the shivers. She silently cursed Yong Soo, who seemed to be taking his sweet time, before she crammed more warm noodles into her mouth. She hadn't eaten a big, full meal like this in a long time. The noodles were mixed with vegetables and meat. Mei's mouth had watered when they'd been offered to her, and although she'd attempted to refuse them at first, the deal was she had to take the noodles _with_ the car. That had made her mind up for her, since she had been desperate to have a vehicle.

There was a tapping at her window that alerted her to a presence. Jumping in her seat, she saw it was Yong Soo, shivering yet wrapped up in a thick, black coat and dark grey scarf to match. At least he'd dressed appropriately for the occasion.

She started up the engine, which gracefully hummed into life compared to the sputtering rumble of Yao's Old Civic. There was something satisfying about having a decent car. She crammed the noodle box into Yong's hands.

"Just to let you know," Yong Soo began as she reversed the car away, stretching his legs out as much as he could and adopting a nonchalant expression. "I'm a minor, but if you've fallen for me that hard, Mei, I honestly don't mind if we-"

"Are you brain dead?" she huffed. "That's _not_ why I'm here _at all_. You must be the most arrogant little shit I've ever met."

"Oh," he pursed his lips together. "Is this a kidnapping?"

"If I would pick a kid to hold hostage for a ransom, it would _not_ be you," she retorted coolly. "Trust me on that one. We're going to watch Hédeváry."

"Wait, what?" Yong Soo gawked, suddenly sitting upright. "Yao said we wouldn't be doing that. Did he change his mind?"

"Tell me what seat you're sitting in, Yong," Mei sighed, as she cruised along the road.

"The passenger seat," he answered.

"Correct," she rolled her eyes. "Now. Do you see Yao in the backseat?"

She had to suppress pure anger when Yong Soo turned in his seat to take a look. It had been quite obvious upon arriving that Yao most certainly was _not_ in the backseat.

"We're doing this without Yao?"

"Well done," she snapped. "Yes, we're doing this without Yao. I know he'll be super pissed when he finds out, but I personally think Hédeváry's been up to something since the start."

"What?" Yong Soo's eyes bugged out. " _Really_?"

"Yeah," Mei answered. "I want to know what it is, and I ain't waiting for Lei to hack into several supercomputers before I start looking."

"Yao's right," Yong Soo said. "You're strangely defiant on believing the killer isn't Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"I'm keeping my options open," Mei sighed. "When you've lived in the real world, Yong, you'll understand that it's very important to do that."

"I have lived in the real world," Yong Soo replied. "On the Friday night before Niklas Edelstein's death, I helped Yao chase a criminal across buildings. Well… I waited downstairs whilst he did the chasing part…"

"Right," Mei felt that sounded too much like an episode of Batman rather than the _real_ world.

"Fine, if you don't want to know," he said. "But, hey. These noodles look delicious. Did Kiku make them?"

"Hands off, they're mine," she warned. "And yes. They're from the Honda Ramen Bar."

"Didn't you have dinner?" she could feel him looking at her.

"Busy night," Mei answered. "I was in a rush when we were there and I usually have a late nine o'clock dinner. I mean, I know this is later than usual, but if I wanted the car, I had to take the noodles."

"Not a problem," Yong Soo said. "If you don't want them, I'll eat them!"

"I said _hands off_ ," she clenched her jaw. "I _do_ want those noodles. And I will _eat_ those noodles whilst you are watching the Edelstein household extremely closely."

"I see," Yong Soo said. "Is that why I'm here?"

"Do you want to be here?" she asked. "I can still U-Turn and drop you back off at home."

"No, I want to be here," Yong Soo nodded, determined. "I want to help out with this investigation as well. I'll admit, I don't really want to wait for Lei to do any of this hacking stuff. It seems we're just as impatient as each other."

"Don't compare me to you, because we're really not alike in the slightest," Mei scolded. "We'll be hanging around outside the Edelstein household. If both cars are there, then we know both Roderich and Elizabeta are in the house. If not, we need to find out who owns what car."

"Sure," Yong Soo said. He was barely listening.

The rest of the car journey was an awkward silence where Mei was unsure of what to say, and Yong Soo could only glance between the road and the noodles.

"I assume this is the Honda family car?" Yong Soo finally suggested.

"Yes," Mei replied. "Why?"

"I was just wondering," he said. "Don't you have a car of your own?"

"I rent one from time to time, but as you may have noticed, I take the train home," Mei said. "So, no. I don't own a car. And I needed one. It's not like I could take Yao's because he'd go ballistic. So, instead, I asked Kiku."

"Smooth," Yong Soo said. "And because we've got Harlot Mei, the police are ineffective against us. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether we get spotted or not!"

"How many times do I need to tell you idiots that men do not fall head over heels for me?" Mei demanded. "You two are just one person with two identities, I swear."

"That's a compliment to me, considering I want to be just like Aniki," Yong Soo said.

"Yeah, as in sharing a bedroom with your best friend because you can't scrape the funds to rent yourself a place?" Mei scowled. "You know, Yong, I think you're better off as you are now… You might admire him, but I don't think Yao would want you to turn out just like him…"

"He wouldn't?" Yong Soo frowned.

"No, because he would take the pair of you being alike as an insult," Mei continued. "We're here now, so shut up and let me eat my noodles."

The long drive had finally ended. Positioning the car carefully in the darkness, Mei shut off the engine and the lights. Leaning forward, she could see two cars sitting within the drive. Both Edelstein and Hédeváry were at home. She leant back and retrieved her noodles, comfortably tucking into them whilst Yong Soo kept his gaze trained steadily on the house and the cars.

Nothing happened that night.

Mei and Yong Soo returned to their homes by the end of the night, exhausted. However, the pair vowed it wasn't over, and that it would most certainly be something they would come to do each night. For the next two nights, Mei would pick Yong up in the Honda family car and drive to the Edelstein household, where they would sit and quietly watch the still house and cars. Although Yao could never understand their tired, vacant expressions during the day, Mei and Yong remained determined to crack the truth about Elizabeta Hédeváry's strange behaviour. As enthusiastic as they were, it was tough struggling against the weight of fatigue each day.

Mei and Yong were sitting in the car. It was a Monday night. All day whilst at work, Mei had heard about the music hall's grand reopening, so it was no surprise that Roderich Edelstein's car was not present at the house. At first, it was pondered by the two Investigasians that Elizabeta had attended the grand reopening party with her fiancé, but that soon became another case when they saw Miss Hédeváry leaving her house.

"What?" Yong Soo sat up straight. "She's actually here."

"Sit down and don't make any noise," Mei hissed. "Otherwise she'll notice us. Just wait."

The pair of them watched as she climbed into her car, pale and ashen faced, only to then reverse speedily from the drive and pitch the car away from the house. Sitting up straight, Mei turned on the car and followed in hot pursuit.

* * *

 **A/N:** _The plot thickens! This is where the case begins to become a little more... complicated. I hope it was worth the wait... Until next time!_


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:** _So, who's an utter scumbag? **I'm an utter scumbag!** I'm so sorry about what's happened! I haven't updated in what feels like centuries, and I genuinely believe it's been over two weeks since I posted a chapter. I completely forgot to tell you guys that I was away for a week with my friend, and because the internet there is very shaky, I didn't have the chance to post whilst there, or let you guys know that I wasn't able to post the next chapter. Anyway, I got back, and I could've posted, but I missed my chance and got extremely ill for the past couple of days, so I couldn't post whilst in a state... I'm really sorry about what's happened, and in the future, I'll remember to put in my A/Ns if I'm away, just because I don't like to leave people hanging. Once again, I'm very sorry!_

 _Without further ado, here's the next chapter of Investigasians! I really hope it's worth the two week wait, but something tells me that it probably won't be... I mean, two weeks is a long time by my books! Sorry again, and here's the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

* * *

Elizabeta's car sped along the road, just within seeing distance. Mei was careful to keep a considerable gap between the two vehicles. She didn't want to run the risk of being spotted, nor did she want to lose the car. Technically, although Yao was a private investigator, the tactic of tailing someone without legal permission was frowned upon and could get them in trouble. However, Mei was determined to figure this out and wouldn't stop at any means.

After the days of surveillance she and Yong had dedicated to this, which had meant tired days at work, whilst Yao was content to wait for Lei to finish with the computers, she wasn't about to give up. Mei's eyelids felt heavy, but her desire to discover what Elizabeta Hédeváry was doing was stronger than her physical need to sleep. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, Yong almost falling asleep; he'd even pulled the hood of his jacket up to keep his face warmer.

Mei almost missed it when Elizabeta swerved the car to the side, down a narrow road. However, she soon followed into a more isolated road, where cars were parked and remained stationary. They were the only cars moving. Mei glanced from side to side to see houses with all lights off. There wasn't a single sign of life in the entire neighbourhood, other than her car and Elizabeta's. Even Yong Soo had stopped moving.

The car in front drew to the side, disappearing from view. Cautious, Mei edged the Honda family's car round the corner and saw Elizabeta sliding into a parking spot. Hurriedly, she set the car in reverse and forced it back out of sight, preferring a place along the street. She couldn't afford to let herself get seen.

She glanced at Yong Soo, but he remained completely oblivious to what was happening. Mei stepped out into the cold night and chose to lock him in. If there were any problems, he would call her. She crept along the street, drawing her own hood up as she did so. She could see Elizabeta's car round the corner, and the woman herself was walking steadily up the road, back facing Mei. Rather than instantly racing after her, Mei kept a distance, taking her time to watch Elizabeta push open a fence into a public greenspace. She even pulled the hood of her coat up so that, if Elizabeta were to suddenly turn and spot her, then she wouldn't be recognised.

It was at the greenspace that Mei threw herself into action. She pulled her phone from her pocket, and dropped to a low crouch, moving quietly and stealthily towards the little park. Fortunately, there were thick bushes hiding her from Elizabeta, and she could just about see through the bushes when she wasn't peeking round. She leant out and watched Elizabeta standing in the park, idly hopping from one foot to the next.

Mei's heart hammered with terrified realisation. Elizabeta was _waiting for someone_.

Alert, she glanced around the street and saw another car turn into the corner. Mei remained as still as she could, praying to some higher power that she wouldn't be noticed in her dark attire. The car breezed on past, and she took the opportunity to crawl across the pavement and underneath a car closest to the park, where she could just about see Elizabeta's feet, still. Ideally, she would've liked to have Yong Soo awake and posted elsewhere as an emergency lookout, but it seemed she was capable of handling the undercover work alone.

Mei watched as someone walked up the road from where the second car had parked. From the angle she was at, she could only see their feet, but the hard footfalls and the sneakers they wore were definitely those of a male. Elizabeta was meeting a man, and Mei had to guess that Roderich didn't wear sneakers. She also wouldn't need to drive out to a secluded, unknown place to speak to her fiancé.

Rummaging through her pocket, Mei extracted her phone and angled it on the pathway. She switched to camera mode, and got a straight on view of Elizabeta standing at the park, her mystery man approaching. There was no delight on her face as she turned towards whoever it was she was meeting; Mei could just about make out the hard lines of her frown, her stiff jaw and the way she remained rigid with her hands in her coat pockets.

As for the other person… Mei could see blonde hair, but as they were faced away, she couldn't tell for sure. Their hands also remained in their pockets. This wasn't a friendly meeting, she could conclude.

Unfortunately, her location meant she was too far to hear, and she couldn't lip read either. From what she could see, Elizabeta looked anxious; she kept glancing around as if she'd be spotted. Her companion was more relaxed by a considerable amount; his hands remained stationary and he didn't even fidget. This was clearly a meeting Elizabeta wanted to escape from or keep short.

Their conversation continued at an even flow for a while, until the other person lifted a hand to Elizabeta's shoulder, saying something. Vehemently, she threw his touch away with a shake of her head.

Mei thought she heard her say, "Get off of me."

What happened next caught Mei off guard. Whoever Elizabeta was with raised a palm to her cheek and held her face for a moment. Roderich's fiancée had a glazed expression in her eyes that immediately hardened. She pushed the tender hand away once more and started storming away from the park. Hurriedly, Mei scooted further under the car, hiding her phone with her.

No longer able to see Elizabeta, she only heard her footsteps scuffle closer, until she stood right before the car Mei was under. She could see her shoes; her heart beat wildly in her chest for fear of being caught, just as the sneakers drew a little closer.

"I told you we had ended years ago and I'm sticking firm to my word," Elizabeta's tone held a hint of warning to it. "Don't ruin what I have with Roderich."

"If you love him so much, why don't you express your concerns about this?" the voice was unfamiliar to Mei. "Why come to me before your own fiancé?"

"Because Roderich doesn't need to know about what I've done," she snapped. "Besides, I only came here to confirm what I needed to know."

There came no answer.

"Oh, and before you jump to your delusions, I love Roderich with all my heart," Elizabeta added hurriedly. "I love him more than I ever loved you."

"You're the one who called me here," he replied. "Besides, you can't possibly have forgotten what we had all those months ago…"

Mei tensed when she saw Elizabeta's shoes come an abrupt halt.

"We're over. We were over a _long_ time ago."

"Keep telling yourself that," the man replied. "But even you can't deny that I brought you a lot more excitement than Roderich ever does or will. It's still not too late to change your mind?"

The hope in his voice implied this was a relationship that had not met a satisfying end. She heard a sharp intake of breath from where Elizabeta stood.

"You were just a mistake," she hissed. "A spur on the moment decision I made when I was upset. Nothing more. Don't delude yourself."

"Spur on the moment?" his tone became incredulous. "A moment must be very long for you…"

"Don't call me, and don't hope to get another meeting like this," Elizabeta said. "I intend to never see you again after tonight. I've got what I wanted."

"What if I were to show up at your door?" Mei couldn't tell if she was witnessing blackmail – she held her tongue, never the less.

"If you want to get sued for stalking me, go ahead," Elizabeta barked out a laugh.

She walked away after that.

Mei bowed her head against the concrete as the other person gave up and their footsteps receded into the night.

* * *

"You did _what_ , aru?" Yao stared at the pair of them, aghast.

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Yao had called the gang together to hear what Lei had to summarise about the computers and tracking of Gilbert Beilschmidt. It was only then that Yong and Mei burst out with a confession they must've been holding the entire day. Yao had listened to their story in silent horror, the nights they spent watching Elizabeta, and that eventual night where Mei traced her to an unknown park.

"We were hardly going to wait around," Mei complained. "You're meant to be a private investigator. If one lead goes stationary, you're supposed to pick away at all the others until the answers are presented at your feet."

"I _am_ a private investigator, aru," he folded his arms.

"Not a very good one," she muttered.

"What you did was illegal, aru," Yao snapped. "You could've jeopardised the entire mission just because you couldn't sit tight and wait for a few days."

"I was getting the ball rolling," Mei answered indignantly. "As a matter of fact, I-"

"I'm so sorry, Aniki!" Yong Soo outburst. "In no way did I mean for you to get upset or offended by what we did; I honestly thought we'd be helping you with our own little independent research, but I never realised how potentially damaging this could've been to your career."

Yao leant away, mildly unsettled by his sidekick, as usual. "Right. Well. Let's just put it in the past."

"Seriously?" Mei was staring at him in disbelief.

"What now?" Yao sighed impatiently.

"You're just going to ignore this blatantly suspicious nature?" she gaped.

"I don't know if you've realised, aru, but Gilbert Beilschmidt is our prime suspect, and is acting far more suspicious, what with his having _fled the city_ ," Yao sneered. "If it comes to light that Beilschmidt is actually innocent, which is unlikely, then we can turn back to-"

"Forget it," Mei stood and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Yao asked.

"I'm out," she replied.

"What?" he stared at her.

"You heard me," she stopped in the doorway to glare at him. "Count me out of this bullshit, because it's going nowhere. Good luck chasing circles."

"Whatever," Yao huffed as she left.

He didn't want to, but he couldn't help but feel slightly bothered by her quitting her role in the case. He didn't want to, but he watched her leave the room without so much as a glance over her shoulder, and that only bothered him all the more. However, he said nothing and forced himself to look back amongst the others rather than follow after her and demand what was _really_ wrong. All eyes were on him.

"Something seemed to be bothering her," Kasam mumbled, averting his gaze hastily.

"Oh, _really_?" Yao scowled. "Honestly, aru, I want to forget about Mei. She was only going to hinder us in the long run with unplanned actions like that, anyway."

"I'm sorry, Aniki," Yong Soo mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, aru," he slumped down into a chair and folded his arms. "She tried to misguide you, too. What did you find, Lei?"

"Right," Lei spun on his chair and opened several tabs on his computer, acting as if nothing had happened. "Gilbert Beilschmidt seems to have been rather careful with his cards and details. Before his abrupt disappearance on Saturday, he extracted a considerable amount of cash from his bank account."

"Any further activity on any of his cards?" Yao pressed.

"No," Lei shook his head. "That's what I mean by careful. His phone details remain stationary – he hasn't used his phone since his disappearance when he was on call to a number I couldn't trace, no matter how hard I tried. It was probably one of those disposable things, if you know what I mean."

"Right," Yao frowned. "What does that mean we have on him?"

"Not much, other than some loose guesses," Lei replied. "There's been no passport activity. He remains within the country. The amount he took out was almost his entire life's worth of savings. Enough for a cheap shack or something, but also enough to rent a vehicle. Get me the details from the local car shop, and I can use the security road cameras to find the number plate. After that, Yao, Beilschmidt's fair game."

"Thanks, Lei," Yao patted him on the shoulder. "Good job. Myself and Yong Soo will investigate that."

He wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that they'd been reduced to a two person team. All Yao knew was that this trail wasn't as dead as Mei seemed to think. She was acting very childish in this matter, because there remained a large chance that Beilschmidt truly was the murderer, and that Elizabeta was merely having an affair. They were detectives, though, not marriage counselors.

He didn't set off until the next day. Although this marked the ninth day of the case, he wanted to be alert before they went to investigate. Now that Yong was currently out of school, they had more free time during the day to get down to business. He picked his sidekick up from the Im household, and drove straight into the city centre, following the instructions Lei had provided for them to get to the garage.

Yao couldn't afford one of those clever GPS systems, or have a car which had one inbuilt in, so a quick search and print off of instructions given by Google Maps would have to suffice. Even though he lived locally, Beilschmidt didn't, so it could've been any of the car rental places. The Old Civic idly slipped amongst the traffic, with Yong Soo excitedly telling Yao what he hoped to get for Christmas. He desperately hoped Yong didn't expect a gift from him, because that would be asking Yao for too much. He had never received one in the past, and he would never get one in the future, what with the way Yao liked to selfishly spend any money he managed to get on himself.

Somehow, the initial cash Roderich Edelstein had paid had dwindled to a mere twenty-seven pounds and five pence. Yao wasn't sure himself how he'd managed to blow nearly two hundred quid; about of third of it must've gone towards the rent he'd owed Mr Honda. The rest? Yao could only assume ramen.

With Yong Soo nattering as well as giving him instructions, Yao almost missed the right turning and scolded Yong for not concentrating. The Old Civic bumbled into a rundown shed that had old cars dotted around. Some were rusting, and others in maintenance. None of them looked like new, well-functioning cars. Whatever Gilbert Beilschmidt had paid for with the rest of his money was beyond Yao. He desperately hoped it wasn't a plane ticket, otherwise there was very little time left to act.

He parked the car and the pair of them got out.

"Watch your pockets," Yao warned Yong, unfamiliar with the types of characters that would appear in a miserable little place like this.

Cautiously, he approached the entrance, which had been left open, invitingly. Too inviting, in Yao's opinion, but he walked straight through with Yong in tow never the less. This was definitely one of those missions that would never get mentioned to Mrs Im…

He knocked lightly on the side of the wall, a tin rattling sound that reverberated around the entire hall. There were old cars currently in the manufacturing process. They received no answer, but Yao still took that as an invitation inside. He wandered across the length of the garage, searching for an office, when suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere from within the cars.

Yao flinched, momentarily startled, but was pleased to see the young man wore overalls and held the spanner of an employee. He had several oil stains on his clothes, but his smile was bright enough.

"Hey, hey," he walked right up and shook one of Yao's hands in his own. "Really good to have another customer here so soon – how can I help you?"

"I'm actually an official investigator," Yao held up his ID and watched the friendly expression drop from the employee's face. "May I speak with you?"

"I haven't done anything, Mr Investigator Man," the young man glanced around the workshop, as if checking for any crimes. "You won't catch _anything_ suspicious here, you better believe it…"

"I'm not here concerning you or your business, more your customers," Yao said, uncomfortably wrenching his hand from the young man's grasp.

"Anything they do is nothing to do with me," he assured him indignantly. "Whatever someone has done, you won't find my name connected with them; only in business do I know my customers."

"Mr… um?"

"Esteves."

"Mr Esteves, I'm not here to convict anyone of a crime," Yao said, deciding to hide his true intentions. "I just want to know if you served a man of the surname Beilschmidt recently?"

"Bellsmit… Bellsmit…" Esteves glanced anxiously around until his eyes fell on a dusty worktop that was also stained with oil, but had a messy pile of papers and folders strewn across it. "One moment. Bellsmit…"

Yao watched patiently as Esteves rummaged around his files, pure concentration in his eyes. He seemed desperate to clear his name of any potential crimes. Perhaps this place was worse than Yao had initially thought?

"Bellsmit…" Esteves opened a folder with 'Clients' scrawled on top and flicked through an organised stack of papers that sat within the yellow paper folder. "Bell…smit. Here."

Esteves stared at the paper for some time before raising his eyes to glance at Yao. "Can I ask why you're looking for this man?"

"We need to ask him a few questions relating to a recent event," Yao answered vaguely.

"If this man ends up in court, he won't be able to lift my name up from the blue," Esteves closed the folder, the single sheet in hand. "If he _does_ happen to mention me, allow me to firmly close any suspicions and clarify that I have _nothing_ to do with whatever he's done."

Yao had a feeling that refusal would mean he wouldn't be allowed to see the sheet of paper Esteves held.

"I believe you, Mr Esteves," he said politely. "I don't doubt that you're not connected to whatever Mr Beilschmidt is involved in."

Relief flooded the employee's eyes, and he wandered over, offering the paper towards Yao. "Take as long as you like, Mr Investigator Man."

* * *

 **A/N:** _From now on, I just need to get back on track! Thank you for your patience! For anyone who may be wondering, **Fausto Esteves** is the name I've selected for Portugal, since he doesn't have an official one. Until next time!_


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N:** _If there's one thing I can confirm, it's been too long! I reckon it's been a month since my previous post, and this time I actually have a legitimate reason, other than pure laziness. I've moved to university! It's my 2nd full day here, and I'm still adjusting, so my schedule for posting chapters may still be a little odd... It's been a nerve wracking past three weeks for me, because I'm extremely close to my family, and now I've had to suddenly leave the nest for a bit and stand on my own two feet! It doesn't help that I'm a naturally nervy person, so my physical conditions haven't been ace this past month, whence I went on a planned hiatus (I mentioned it in my profile, but I honestly don't expect people to check that). I think I'm definitely getting better, and I've met some lovely people whilst here. It's all about getting used to my new living conditions, as well as getting to know my other flat mates. I've heard it can take up to 2 weeks to full get used to this, and I've still been a little shaky in terms of health, but I'm definitely on the mend! My lectures start next week, so those'll keep me busy, too!_

 _My hiatus also means I may not have replied to everyone's reviews... I'm sorry if I don't get back to you, but I sometimes lose track of which messages I have and haven't replied to! I'll try not to miss anyone out, because I rather enjoy speaking to my readers, but please don't be offended if I never respond! It's purely because I've lost all sense of who I've sent messages to!_

 _If I start feeling for the worse again (which I really hope doesn't happen), I'll be sure to let you all know this time. It was quite sudden, so I couldn't put it in the previous Author's Note, and I wasn't fit for writing the next chapter, so couldn't announce it then. However, if I start feeling rotten once more, I should probably mention it on my profile (and I'll make sure to remove the current message). It's a tough time for me, but I'm not the only one, so I should get used to it in a relatively short amount of time! I'm actually quite glad to be getting back into writing, because I haven't been doing too much of it recently, and it is one of my biggest hobbies..._

 _Anyway, with all that aside, I love all of my readers and I'm glad to say the next chapter is finally here! Please enjoy and leave a review!_

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

* * *

Yao held the single sheet of paper in his hands. Written at the top in the same messy scribble was 'Mr G. Beilschmidt'. There were several details; a number, the address they'd investigated, and the name of a car alongside a string of letters and numbers Yao assumed was the number plate. There was also a date. Although seemingly unofficial, a signature at the bottom of the paper marked that Gilbert Beilschmidt had agreed.

"How did he pay for the car?" Yao asked.

"How did he pay?" Esteves looked lost for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Cash."

"Is that usual?" Yao glanced around.

The employee offered him a nervous laugh. "Why so many questions for me, Mr Investigator Man? I thought you said you believed my innocence…"

"I don't doubt _your_ innocence," Yao insisted, looking back at the anxious young man, who shifted from foot to foot. "I just need to know about Beilschmidt. You see, I'm currently looking for him."

"You're _looking_ for him?" Esteves' eyes flicked towards Yong Soo. "Both of you?"

"Yes, both of us, aru," Yao replied patiently, although he was slowly losing his patience...

"Well, um… yes, actually," he deflated a little. "Most people pay in cash here…"

"That's fine," Yao wandered around a little, with Esteves following close behind. "When did he rent a car from here?"

"About a week ago, now," Esteves replied. "I'd say Saturday. Night."

"Saturday _night_?" Yao glanced over his shoulder at Esteves, who had stopped dead.

"Well, no… not night," Esteves looked uncomfortable. "Afternoon, actually. No, _evening_."

"Do you have a specific _time_?" Yao felt he was getting nowhere with this man.

"Six," Esteves said. "In the afternoon. Or evening."

He was oddly anxious, but Yao had to guess he had never believed himself to be serving a potential criminal. He didn't quite know the kind of world Esteves lived in, but looking around the ratty workshop told him that a certain type of person would wander in through the garage to demand a rental car.

"He paid in cash, at six o'clock on Saturday?" Yao confirmed, and Esteves nodded. "What was his manner like, aru?"

"He was blunt," Esteves' lip curled slightly. "But I thought that was how all Germans acted."

"Was he in a _hurry_?" Yao desperately hoped the young man never committed a crime, because he would not be able to deal with police pressure if it came right at him.

"A hurry?" Esteves pondered. "I don't remember."

"Was he desperate to get away? Did he have anything with him? Anyone? Do you remember _anything_ from Saturday, Mr Esteves?"

Yao knew he needed to be patient when dealing with people, but he was beginning to grow anxious at the thought that, every second he and Yong spent at Esteves' workshop, Gilbert Beilschmidt was readying his passport to leave the country.

"He had a suitcase with him," Esteves' eyes shone with memory. "I remember now, and I remember he didn't care what colour biro he used for his signature. I barely had time to check how much money he gave me before he'd taken the car. Actually, he accidentally paid an extra tenner, but I…"

Esteves trailed off, and didn't say anything more. Whatever dodgy dealings occurred at this place, it wasn't Yao's problem. He wasn't a good Samaritan. However, if he was one day commissioned to investigate the workings of this workshop, Esteves' accidental scam would instantly come to mind from the folds of his memory.

"Can I keep this?" he held up the paper.

"Ah, um, no," Esteves winced. "I don't have a spare copy, but… you can write down any details you need from it? Wait, I forgot to ask – do I get paid for helping you?"

"No, aru," Yao took a screenshot of the paper in his hand and held it out to Esteves with a bright smile. "But thank you anyway, aru."

Esteves took the piece of paper with a slightly sullen expression in his eyes. Yao had a feeling that, if he wanted any future information from this young man, he would need to have a bribe prepared. He couldn't use intimidation due to his small stature, and Yong Soo was too gangly and innocent to be played as a sinister bodyguard or thug.

"Goodbye, Mr Esteves," Yao called over his shoulder as he walked back to the sunlight the entrance revealed. "You've been a wonderful help."

"Yes, Mr Investigator, you're welcome," he said coolly. "Just remember not to mention my name in any court, OK? Beilschmidt probably doesn't even recall what _I_ look like."

"Of course, Mr Esteves," Yao no longer cared for the conversation; he was finished here.

Without even a look over his shoulder, Yao returned to the Old Civic and geared up the engine. Yong Soo jumped in beside him.

"Weren't you a little too harsh on him?" his sidekick glanced in the mirror at the garage as Yao drove away.

"Not really," Yao shrugged. "I thought I was quite reasonable, aru."

"We should've tipped him," Yong Soo sighed sympathetically. "He probably barely has a living, scraping off of anything he can find from anywhere."

"He'll be fine," Yao insisted. "You could say Beilschmidt gave him a hefty bribe payment of ten quid."

He felt Yong's eyes on him as he drove, but nothing was said.

"OK, so we need to show this number to Lei and have him trace down this car," Yao explained. "I think we're really onto something here, Yong. Once we've traced down the car, we'll find Beilschmidt in no time, aru."

Yong Soo remained oddly quiet.

"Yong?" he repeated, and tried a glance, but driving held most of his attention.

"I hope Mei's OK," the boy sighed.

Yao felt his hands tighten on the wheel. The very thought of her right now made him clench his jaw; but some part of him had to agree with Yong. Yao had _almost_ liked the idea of Mei being an official member of the Investigasians. There was something about her bitchy company that made Yao's day. He couldn't answer or reply, because he didn't know how. Silence swept into the car, even though the windows were closed. Eventually, Yong Soo reached forwards and turned the radio on. Yong never had the radio on. It was usually the sound of Yong Soo's voice they listened to when it was just the two of them in the car. He pretended not to be bothered by this change in routine, but in truth, Yao noticed Mei's disappearance just as much as Yong did. Perhaps it had been a mistake to let her just resign there and then?

They arrived back at the Honda Ramen Bar in good time. It was there, in the familiar and busy atmosphere, that Yao called Lei to tell him they'd achieved getting the number plate.

"That quick?" he sounded surprised.

"Hey, we're efficient, aru," Yao scowled. "When are you able to come?"

"Any time," Lei replied. "In fact, I'll come over right now. I might as well have lunch at Kiku's whilst I'm there, checking the cameras and all."

"Right…" Yao nodded. "So…?"

"I'm coming," Lei said, and hung up.

"I heard Mei quit."

Yao turned to see Kiku stirring a large batch of ramen in broth, an inquisitive expression in his eyes.

"Uh…" unsure of what to say, Yao fumbled for the correct words. Quit? Resigned? Fired? Made redundant? "I guess."

"Ah, that's a shame," Kiku focused on the food. "She was nice…"

Yao fell silent once again, and Yong Soo said nothing, either. It was rare for Kiku to make connections with people, and if he did, it usually took a long time. Speechless, he watched his friend from high school make a satisfying meal for a hungry customer.

"Do you… want to talk about it… aru?" he finally mumbled.

"Do _you_?" Kiku glanced at him as he moved onto the next order.

"Oh, well…" Yao didn't know himself. Surely, to answer a question, you needed to have an answer to give.

"We don't have to," Kiku shrugged. "I just thought she was nice."

"She was," Yong Soo finally pitched in.

It was then that Yao actually didn't want to talk about it. Mei just made him feel mad, because, at the end of the day, she'd been unreasonable. This was the second time in a single day that she'd suddenly been mentioned. Yao felt like karma was trying to suggest something. Kiku seemed to sense his change in mood, because a vacant expression filled his eyes.

"Are you two staying for lunch?" he sounded almost hopeful.

"Oh, I got a tonne of pocket money this weekend," Yong Soo chirped excitedly, his stomach becoming more important than Mei. "We're definitely staying."

Kiku smiled before returning to his food. Yao had to admire his cleverly placed art of manipulation.

Somehow, Lei was late. Yao always imagined he lived the life of one of those shut-ins. Were they called NEETs? Either way, Yao could only see his life reaching out to the programmes on his computer and the Internet. Nothing seemed to progress beyond that life in Yao's opinion. That was why Lei's ability to be late confused him. If Lei did nothing at home, how could he be too busy or preoccupied to be late?

"I'm having my lunch first," he announced, and Yao had to go along with that – his stomach had started to grumble, after all.

He ordered his usual, and Kiku was set to busy work serving all three of them. Yao waited patiently for his ramen to arrive, and when it did, he idly slurped away, indulging in the beauty of Kiku's city famous ramen. In truth, he was anxious to get going, because he desperately wanted to finish this case and receive the end of his payment. Never once had Yao let the end goal out of his sight. He had been striving towards his payment since the beginning; he would probably get back the five per cent he accidentally gave to Mei. He needed to forget about Mei...

Once they were finished with their food, the three of them retreated to the top of the ramen bar. Deep into the recesses of the upstairs living quarters, they huddled amongst the computers.

"You have the number plate?" Lei set the devices up, their ancient engines whirring into life.

Yao located the picture on his phone and pushed it towards him. The handwriting was bad, but Lei managed to decipher what Esteves had scrawled just last week. Although they were promised it would take some time, Yao and Yong Soo hovered in the room, every now and then watching in fascination as Lei cracked into the camera systems along the roads. It looked like a lot of effort and hard work, so Yao was glad to have someone like Lei to do this for him. It would've been harder asking for the entire database of cameras just to find a number plate.

It was drawing later when Lei finally announced he'd found something.

"Here," he pointed to the screen.

Yao watched as a dusty car that may have been either white or silver breezed along the relatively quiet roads on the Saturday night. Its number plate was proudly cleaned compared to the rest of the car, and matched the one Esteves had given. His heart racing, Yao gripped the back of Lei's chair as he watched it sail across the road.

"I managed to follow it and close down the locations," Lei changed the screen to a remote little neighbourhood. "Here. This is the closest street I could get; it shouldn't be hard to find a car like that, though…"

"Thanks, aru," Yao took down the details and tucked his phone in his coat pocket. "We'd best be off, then, Yong."

His sidekick checked his watch. "This late?"

"Are you quitting on me, Yong?" Yao sighed as he headed towards the door.

"What?" the young man's eyes bugged out. "No, of course not, Aniki."

"Thanks, Lei," Yao said, as he breezed past. He could trust eLi to let himself out once he was done organising all his folders.

Kiku seemed to be heading off somewhere when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Closing early, aru?" Yao blinked.

"Ah, no, my dad is holding the fort whilst I make a delivery," Kiku explained awkwardly, plastic bag in hand.

Yao turned, pale, to see Mr Honda standing at the bar.

"Hey, Yao," he said, smiling, but with a glint in his eyes.

"M-Mr Honda," Yao winced, forcing a strained grin. "How good to see you. How has your day been?"

"Oh, great… just glad that you paid last month's rent," Mr Honda beamed. "But, um… I'll just warn you. Next month's rent is in about…" He lazily cast a glance at the date written on the blackboard behind him. "…two and half weeks?"

"O-oh?" he blinked.

"Yeah, I just thought I'd let you know so you're not too much in debt when the payment comes…" that was added with a mean smile.

"Y-yes, Mr Honda," Yao swallowed.

"You're looking strong today, Yong," Mr Honda noted the younger man then.

Yao gritted his teeth and allowed them their conversation. Mr Honda made it clear he despised Yao scrounging off his family, but he loved the youthful face of Yong Soo, who still had "considerable potential in life" – and, yes, that was a quote from the man himself when aiming the harsh bullets of reality at Yao.

"When did you guys start doing deliveries, aru?" Yao asked.

"Oh," Kiku looked embarrassed. "This is a special case."

"Right, OK," Yao nodded.

"I have to go," his friend insisted. "I assume you're busy tonight, so we'll talk tomorrow?"

"Sure, aru," he watched Kiku rush out, pulling his woolly hat over his ears in the cold.

Snow had started to become a regular occurrence. A thin layer had built up over the ground, but not enough to disturb the busy life of the city.

"Yong, we have to go," he checked the time, and turned to see his so-called assistant tasting a new broth Mr Honda possibly intended to release.

"Coming, Aniki," Yong Soo coughed. "That was very tasty, Mr Honda! Thank you very much!"

Once they were outside in the elements, Yao had the opportunity to become bitter. "Aren't you the suck up?"

"What?" Yong Soo frowned as Yao jumped into the car with a dark expression on his face. "Aniki, you know Mr Honda dislikes you greatly, whereas he finds me like a distant nephew or something. Surely it shouldn't surprise you that he should act negatively towards you, someone he dislikes, and positively to me, someone he much prefers?"

"You are a pale imitation of Kiku," Yao sulked, firing the Old Civic into life and rumbling away.

He had Yong Soo direct him once again. The drive was long and perilous. Lei had only shown them a fraction of where they needed to go, and Yao was soon bored. It was bad enough that he had to listen to the personal radio sitting in the passenger seat about how he should become a food connoisseur.

"Why are we going there so late?" he suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Huh?" Yao blinked tiredly.

"How come we're going so late?" Yong Soo repeated. "I mean… Beilschmidt will be asleep, right?"

"That doesn't matter," Yao replied. "We're talking to him, even if it means hammering his door down, aru."

"Wow," Yong Soo suddenly became uncertain. "Is that legal?"

"It's necessary," Yao sighed impatiently. "We can't afford to give Beilschmidt the chance to escape."

Yong Soo nodded, determined, just as Yao rolled into the cut off road Gilbert Beilschmidt had driven his car to on Saturday. However, there was no sign of the car parked in any of the drives.

"Well, that's weird," Yao murmured, eyes scanning the street, until he found one house without a car.

Usually, he would pay it no mind, but it was the only house there without a car. He zoomed in on it and parked the Old Civic into the drive.

"Do you think he even stayed here?" Yong Soo asked nervously.

Yao pulled his phone out of his pocket and gave Lei a quick ring.

"Yo."

"Aru, did Beilschmidt _stay_ here?" he demanded.

"There was no further activity from his car, as far as I'm concerned," Lei muttered. "Oh, wait."

"Perhaps you should've told me about this beforehand?" he huffed.

"I didn't know, and besides, this benefits you…" Lei said.

"What?" Yao scowled.

"He's headed back to the city," Lei replied.

"Oh, yeah, so he took the next flight to Antarctica, never to be seen or heard from again, aru," Yao spat. "What the Hell, Lei? We've just _lost_ the prime suspect and you're calling that a benefit? It seems we'll all just have to forget about the rest of our payment, because Edelstein sure as hell won't look into an _incomplete case_."

"Yeah, could you just, like, listen?" he sounded agitated.

"What, aru?" Yao folded his arms and leant back in the car seat, Yong Soo watching his every movement with wide, anxious eyes.

"He went past the airport turning," Lei explained. "He headed towards the city."

"So we should tail him!" Yong Soo cried excitably.

"Take the opportunity to look around his house," Lei instructed. "This could be your best chance."

"True, and it would confirm if he truly intends to leave, aru," Yao pondered, realising the benefits for himself. "OK, we'll do that. C'mon, Yong."

He disconnected his call with Lei and slid out the Old Civic, Yong Soo joining him. The two of them walked towards the front door.

"Now, we don't know what to expect," Yao warned his sidekick. "We're about to enter the house of a man capable of murder, understood?"

Yong Soo nodded, his face suddenly ashen with fear as he watched Yao rummage through his pockets for his trusty lock pick. He held it up in the darkness and brought it towards the door. Yao knew that Mrs Im would slaughter him if she discovered what kind of work he was getting Yong Soo to do...

He turned it once clockwise, several times anti-clockwise, then back round once more. After carefully wiggling the lock pick – which was really just a bent into shape paperclip – Yao managed to click the lock open. He returned the paperclip to its home in his pocket and wrapped his fingers round the doorknob. After one more glance towards Yong Soo, he pushed Gilbert Beilschmidt's door open.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Well, we still haven't met Gilbert, but I **promise** you that we will soon! I hope you've enjoyed the chapter, and I hope to get back onto a schedule that's decent for me. It may be that my posting schedule might shift from Friday night to Saturday morning, just because I am a bit more of an early bird! As far as I'm concerned, I don't have any lectures on Mondays or Wednesdays, either, and only have a single lecture on Thursday morning- a free day after that! I'm so glad to be back to the community and I promise not to do another disappearing act! If I don't post in about a week or so, it may be worth checking my profile once more just to see if I've shifted off the radar once again! Thank you for your patience with Investigasians!_

 _On a note, I've been listening to music by **Gorillaz** recently, and absolutely love their tracks **Clint Eastwood** and **Melancholy Hill**. If you're looking for something a little different (Alternative, I suppose), then I definitely suggest you check them out! Also, the concept of the band is a cartoon, which created characters with their own personalities and stories! It's very interesting- seriously, check them out! Until next time xx_


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N:** _It's true! I have arisen from the dead for real now! I'm adjusting to uni life and coming to grips with what happens around me... which also includes a load of reading! It's only week one and I'm already complaining about the workload... In all honesty, though, one of my friends studies Computer Science and her course sounds far more demanding by comparison, so I'm glad to be a lazy arts student. Speaking of which, if I haven't said so already, I'm studying Ancient History, so I'm technically learning about Grandpa Rome (and a little bit of Germania)!_

 _Also, on a more interesting note... I'm going to an anime con tomorrow! This'll be my first one and I'll be on the lookout for merchandise to stick around my humble uni room, because there are still blank patches on my walls... Anyway, if there are any Hetalia posters there, I'm obviously sold. I won't be cosplaying, unfortunately, because I left the Miku wig at home... and I don't have anything else with me! I've always wanted to cosplay as Japan, though, so I think I'll start gathering the outfit for when the time comes next year! I'm excited to see all the cosplayers there, and I hope to take lots of photos!_

 _Thank you for your patience, and without further ado, here's the next chapter of **Investigasians**!_

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

* * *

The first thing Yao noticed was how surprisingly clean Gilbert Beilschmidt's new house was. The hallway had seen a recent hoovering, the windows were cleaned within an inch of their lives, a little photo frame he had on the worktop was polished and not a speck of dust could be found. The amount of cleaning that had been performed made it seem as if nobody lived there. It made the house impersonal, because Beilschmidt didn't even leave those odd bits of paper that most people have lying around. Of course, Yao had to admire him for that. His tidiness only meant that, if Beilschmidt had something to hide, it was would be easier to find. The criminal had made the investigator's job easier.

Yong Soo had somehow drifted into the kitchen. "He eats _a lot_ of potatoes."

"We eat a lot of ramen," he followed him into the room. "That doesn't mean _anything_ , aru."

"No, I was just pointing it out," he closed the fridge, wearing a mournful expression on his face. "He likes beer, too, by the looks of things. Rather empty, though."

"He just moved here," Yao sent him a look. "What were you even hoping to find in his _fridge_?"

"I'm not sure," Yong Soo frowned. "I just figured look everywhere."

A quick glance around the kitchen confirmed there was nothing out of the ordinary. Yao sent Yong Soo to look in each and every drawer he could find in there, whilst he went exploring around the rest of the house. His feet carried him into the next room, a small sitting room that was cramped with furniture. The coffee table had been wiped clean, and a couple place mats had been set down. The TV was dust-free and a knitted yellow bird sat on a shelf in between another photo of a young man and a small potted plant. A music stand stood to the corner of the room and on it, sheet music.

Yao's heart leapt as he approached the notes scrawled on the lines. He flicked through, trying to determine whether the piece met its end or not. Yao, however, had never been educated in any form of music, and had never endeavoured to learn how to read it, either.

"Yong," he called out into the house. "Come here."

"What is it?" Yong Soo asked, wandering into the room.

"Did you finish your search of the kitchen, aru?" he asked.

"Almost," his sidekick replied.

"A quick moment, please," he waved the sheet music around. "Do you play an instrument?"

"Ah, I used to play piano," Yong Soo admitted sheepishly. "But not anymore… Why?"

Yao had to trust in Mrs Im to push her son towards the musical side of academics. She always tried to make him the young gentleman he never was, but her attempts, in this case, were useful to Yao.

"Can you still read music, aru?" he asked, beckoning the younger man closer.

Yong Soo picked his way past the coffee table and sofa to peer past Yao's shoulder at the last lines of the music. "Should do?"

There was a pause as his eyes scanned over the lines, then his finger drifted to the last few notes where a single line had been drawn over the lines. "You see that there?"

"Yeah," Yao replied. "Does that mean the music finished?"

"No, it's just where the tempo beat finishes on rotation," Yong explained. "If it was the end of the piece, then it would be a double bar."

"This isn't finished, then," Yao concluded. "Which means these could be the missing sheets we were looking for, aru."

"The last song Niklas Edelstein was writing before he died..." Yong Soo's eyes were large as he looked at Yao fearfully. "Would he really leave them out in the open like this?"

"Who knows?" Yao took them. "But I'll be keeping these to confirm with Roderich if these were his father's. You can finish your search in the kitchen, aru."

Yong Soo did as asked, and Yao continued to survey the sitting room. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary; he opened the drawers under the table and found several rock CDs, but also a collection of classical music at the bottom. Gilbert Beilschmidt truly was a strange man. Yao left the room, satisfied that his search in the lounge was finished. There was a bathroom and a pantry, but nothing in either room interested Yao enough for him to investigate. He decided to leave the garden for last. It would be easy to tell if something out there was strange.

He carried himself upstairs and into a bathroom. There was a can of shaving cream, body spray, toothbrush and used toothpaste. He was rather minimalistic in the bathroom sense, and nothing was hidden there. Yao left and went into his bedroom. This would be where his darkest secrets would be kept.

Opening the wardrobe, he found Beilschmidt was a fan of hoodies and jackets. There were several of the same black tank tops, and he seemed to like plain, dark jeans. A duffel bag was spotted in the corner. Yao took a photo of that. He would like to compare it to the video footage Lei had obtained of the music theatre. He opened it, just in case, but it had been gutted of any items. Thoroughly, Yao checked the pockets of each jacket and hoodie, but his searching hands came back empty. He rifled through his bedside drawers, but they were so neat. He found a diary.

Yao held it up and tried to open it, but it was sealed with a ten number padlock. Turning it to all noughts, Yao came back unlucky. He should probably take this, have the padlock broken and take a look through for any evidence. Dropping to his knees to check under the bed, he found a black painted steel box. It was about the length of Yao's arm. His heart hammered, but it had another number lock. Beilschmidt was oddly protective over his items. Yao took the box as well. Like the diary, it would serve as suitable evidence when convicting him. The monetary reward offered by Edelstein was just around the corner at this point. Yao found nothing else in the bedroom.

He trudged downstairs with his findings, pleased that he'd managed to gather so much in such a short amount of time. Strangely, Yong had been slow looking around the kitchen. He peered in to see he was slacking off and had helped himself to a beer.

"What the Hell, Yong?" he scowled, and the young man jumped. "What are you doing, aru?"

"It's just _one beer_ ," he protested. "And besides, if he's going to the slammer, he's hardly going to need them…"

"What have I told you about drinking on the job?" Yao folded his arms.

"Sorry," Yong set it on the table awkwardly. "I just thought…"

"What?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I thought 'why not', really…" Yong Soo sighed.

"Look, finish that before we get in the car, whilst I take a quick look round the garden and pretend I didn't see anything, aru," he put the items on the counter next to a surprised Yong Soo. "Also, don't tell your mother, otherwise my career will end for letting minors access alcohol despite my greater authority."

"What is all this?" Yong Soo's eyes travelled across the box and diary.

"Items I found in Beilschmidt's room," Yao replied. "Fiddle with the numbers, I don't care, aru. If you accidentally crack the code, that only benefits us. Don't have a second beer."

"I won't," Yong replied forlornly as Yao left the room.

A key hanging near the door was a perfect fit for the backdoor. Yao turned it and heard the click as the lock slid out of place. Pushing open the door, he was met with a gust of cruel, icy wind. It was easy to forget how cold it was getting once enclosed in the comforts of a building. He stepped out, eyes scanning the grass for anything strange. The garden was just as one would expect. It was small but a little shed had been crammed into the corner, containing a mower, hedge clippers and a shovel. Although Yao's suspicions went towards the shovel, it hadn't been used in a while. It was also caked with mud, rather than blood. It seemed Beilschmidt wasn't so much the botanist as he was a cleaner. However, the mower had seen good usage and the grass was kept short. An empty washing line stretched from the house to the shed. A bird bath filled with clear water stood tall and proud to one side of the garden. That was it, as far as Yao could say.

He was about to retreat indoors when Yong Soo wandered out of the house, face pale and Gilbert Beilschmidt's house phone in his hand.

"What are you _doing_?" Yao hissed. "Why did you answer the phone?"

"Because it's Mei," Yong Soo extended the device towards him. "She wanted to speak to you."

Yao reached out a cautious hand and held the receiver to his ear. "Mei? How did you get this number?"

"That's not important," she said. "What is important is that you come to my house right now."

"What?" Yao swallowed. "What are you talking about? Mei? What's going on? Is everything OK?"

"Shush for a minute," she continued. "I need to tell you my address."

"Mei?" he clenched a jaw. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm at home," she answered. "This is my address. Be ready to take it down."

He opened his mouth to protest as she relayed, in careful precision, the location of her house. Secretive Mei, suddenly calling and giving the details of a place she'd always seemed reluctant for anyone to see. Yao barely caught a single word, because he was too caught up on the idea that something wasn't right.

"Mei, what's going on, aru?" he demanded. " _Tell me what's going on_."

"It's fine, Yao," her voice had a calm, collected and strangely orderly manner to it. "We're at my house."

" _We're_?" he repeated numbly. "Who's with you?"

"Just come to my house," she repeated firmly. "Gilbert Beilschmidt wants to talk to you. See you soon."

For a moment, Yao's entire world seemed to freeze over. His body went rigid, but before he could say anything else, Mei disconnected the call. The wind was freezing his skin, but he had enough blood flowing through his body from the sheer terror the situation to keep him warm enough. For a moment, it seemed Yao had lost all grasp on his senses. He could feel Yong Soo's gaze on him, worried, but the phone was still held to his ear. Slowly, he lowered it, and was about to call back, when Yong shook his head.

"What?" Yao asked.

"If Mei's in danger, calling back isn't going to work," Yong warned. "Beilschmidt probably has control of the phone by now. Where is she?"

"Home," his mouth felt dry.

"Where is _that_?" Yong pulled a face.

"She told me to take it down, aru," Yao ran his hands through his hair. "I didn't take it down. What the Hell was I thinking? I should've taken it down, Yong?"

"Hey, don't worry," Yong soothed. "If we wait long enough, Beilschmidt might get her to call us back. For now, do you remember anything of what she said?"

"A little," he admitted. "I kind of know the area, but it's a huge place and she could be anywhere there. It could take us hours of looking."

"Let's get back to the car and start heading back to the city," Yong Soo reasoned. "What did she sound like? Scared? Was she crying?"

"No, she was perfectly fine," he followed Yong to the car, unlocking it as they moved. "She _sounded_ fine, at least."

"Good enough for us," Yong Soo said as Yao got behind the wheel.

"Try calling her," he started up the Old Civic.

"But we just sa-"

"Just do it, aru," he ordered.

Timidly, Yong Soo called Mei's number and waited, anxiously tapping a foot on the floor. Yao whipped the car out from the driveway and sped down the road, eyes searching for cameras, yet pushing the edges of the speed limit.

"Not answering," Yong lowered the phone.

"Call again," he instructed.

"What?" Yong frowned. "Why?"

"Just do it, aru," he repeated.

"There's no point, Yao," his sidekick pleaded. "Mei won't answer."

"For _my_ sake, Yong," he pleaded, stress pounding in his temples. "For _my_ sake. Just in _case_ she answers."

Hesitantly, Yong Soo recalled the number. Yao knew he shouldn't be acting so unprofessional, but he was alarmed by how Gilbert Beilschmidt had managed to get Mei's details, only to then enter her house. There was a pause. The silence was deafening, because the radio was switched off, leaving Yao's anxieties to hover, unattended, by his head.

"I'm sorry, Yao," Yong Soo sighed. "But she's not answering my calls."

"Where's my phone?" he demanded.

"It's right here," Yong held it up. "But she won't answer _your_ calls, either. I told you; Beilschmidt's the one with the phone access."

"Give it," he held out a waiting hand, each of Yong Soo's words flying past his head.

With a sigh, the young man dropped the device into Yao's hand. Despite speeding along, he quickly glanced at the phone to see he had a missed call from Mei, and called her number. He had left his phone in the car, it seemed, and she had attempted to reach out to him. He held the phone to his ear, waiting, impatient. It rang several times, but never picked up. He could feel Yong watching him solemnly.

"What time is it?" Yao asked.

"Um," Yong Soo squinted at the car's time. "Ten to one. Roughly."

He sucked in a breath and muttered a brief apology before calling Kiku's number. There was a horrible moment where Yao believed his best friend wouldn't pick up the phone, when it rang once, twice, and then-

"Hello?" Kiku mumbled sleepily from the other side. "Yao?"

"Kiku, I'm in a bind, aru," he said desperately. "Mei's being held hostage, and I can't find her because I don't know her address. I've screwed up and I don't know what to do and _I need your help_."

"Wait, slow down," Kiku yawned. "What?"

"I can't," Yao grimaced. "I need to find Mei."

"Where are you?" his best friend asked, fatigue in his words.

"Car, road, heading back to town," Yao replied. "I've just been to Beilschmidt's house."

"And where is Mei?" he sounded oddly calm. Yao could only be grateful that those around him were keeping a level head over this. It was also frustrating, though, because he seemed to be the only one who was worried.

"Her house," he said. "Apparently."

"What's the problem?" Kiku sounded confused.

"Beilschmidt's holding Mei hostage in her own home," Yao bit his lip. "I can't find her because she's never let me know where she lives before. I don't know what to do."

"Did you call her back?" he yawned, but the click of him pushing his teeth together told Yao he was trying to stay awake.

"Yes; several times," Yao said. "She's not answering, aru."

"Her house, you say?" Kiku sniffed tiredly.

"Kiku, _wake up_ ," Yao pleaded. "Mei's life could depend on this."

"I'm sorry; I'm just gathering my head…" Kiku sounded a little bothered. "I know where she lives. I'll tell you."

" _You_ know where she lives?" his brows furrowed. Somehow, he felt a little miffed that Mei had told _Kiku_ , an acquaintance, over _him_ , a colleague.

"Yes," he sighed. "Are you ready to take this down?"

"No, Yong will do it," he held the phone towards his sidekick. "Put the address down into your phone."

Yong Soo nodded and tapped something into his device. Yao focused on the road, more worried about what Mei was potentially going through whilst everyone else had left the premises. Why did Gilbert Beilschmidt want to talk to _him_? Should he call the police? As a licensed gun holder, Yao _did_ have a weapon in this car.

"Done," Yong Soo held the phone towards him as his phone began calculating the route.

"Thanks, Kiku," Yao said. "And sorry for waking you."

"No, no, I understand," he sounded sad. "I hope Mei's OK…"

"Me, too," he said firmly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He disconnected the call and dropped his phone in Yong Soo's lap. There were still no other cars on the road. It would be two in the morning by the time they reached the city, and another half hour's drive meant they wouldn't reach Mei's house until later. His heart ached at the thought of her being held at knifepoint, gunpoint, any point by some murderous psychopath. It was bad enough that it was happening, but, in a sense, Mei had been his responsibility. He had drawn her back into this world without fully explaining the dangers and consequences of the actions of a detective. Exposed, she had been easily picked out by the killer. He hated to think Mei would be dead by the time they reached her house.

"Yong, I need you to open my glovebox," his voice had stopped trembling, and calm resolution had subdued him.

"Your _glovebox_?" Yong's fingers traced the latch. "You're going to _shoot_ Beilschmidt?"

"Tonight will decide whether Beilschmidt is the killer or not," Yao said. "If he proves that he's a threat and precedes to threaten Mei and attempts a third murder, we'll know. We'll have suitable evidence to fire and subdue him, even if the measures we take include his inevitable death. Just pass me the gun, aru."

Yong Soo opened the glovebox and held the weapon in his hands.

"First, check if it has bullets," Yao ordered as his sidekick held it out to him.

He knew Yong Soo knew how to handle a gun. He could trust the young man with these kinds of things, so when Yong Soo opened the clip with ease, he was not surprised. Experience had taught him well.

"It's loaded," Yong Soo answered, closing it and handing it to him.

Yao's fingers curled round the firearm. It was cold in his grasp, and he dropped it into the pocket where it belonged. With newfound determination, Yao swept into the fast lane and notched the speed up to as much as legalities allowed.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Oh my! Will see this the end of the Musical Massacre!? Will Yao and Yong reach Mei in time, or are they too late? Find out next time, and I can assuredly tell you all that there will definitely be a next time! I'm definitely getting on track once more with my posting schedule, so thank you for the patience! Until next time!_


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N:** _Hello, everyone! I hope you've all had a good week, because I most certainly have! I believe last week I told you all I went to an anime con- it was my first, and it was a very fun experience. I was hanging out with these two cosplayers from the anime Love Live (which made me want to watch it, because it looks like an adorable anime), and their cosplays were just amazing and adorable. Either way, they told me there was another con at the end of November, from the 19th-20th, and I've booked tickets for that. Not only that, but I'm gradually prepping a cosplay to go as Nyotalia England! This'll be my first cosplay and, more importantly, I've always wanted to cosplay a Hetalia character, be it Japan or one of the Nyotalia girls- particularly England or Canada. It's really going to be an exciting experience for me, especially as I've always adored the idea of cosplaying in general! I'm really going all out, even to get green contact lenses from my optician! As the con is on two days, I'll be Nyotalia England twice, because I don't have the time or energy to put together two cosplays in the space of a month... Either way, I'm really looking forwards to it!_

 _On to work for uni... I discovered a few days ago I have an essay due next Friday at 3pm! This came as a genuine surprise for me, because we haven't actually studied the topic in which the essay is based on. There was a lecture related to similar things, and I thought it would talk more on the subject, but it didn't really... Anyway, this next week will be focused on cramming all my research together, because apparently this first year is about cramming tons of reading in... I must admit, I don't have a lot of contact hours... about 11 a week, which is a lot less compared to other students. The rest of it is independent research. I feel it gets a little bit repetitive, but I guess it's just about getting in to the swing of things._

 _I'm actually home this weekend, because I went to watch an opera called 'Carmen' with my mum! It was really good- so dramatic and very tragic... We love our operas, do me and my mum, and we hope to watch some Downton Abbey tomorrow, since we haven't seen it in ages, and it used to be a weekly tradition to watch it._

 _Enough about me, and more about Yao! Without further ado, the next chapter of Investigasians: The Musical Massacre!_

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

* * *

The Old Civic rolled into place where a small, almost dingy cottage came into view. The garden was overgrown, with trees surrounding the little building. Yao had known the area could be pretty rundown, but he had never expected Mei to live in such a place. For some reason, he always envisioned her lifestyle to be better than this. From the way she acted, her living standards came across as expensive. However, looking at the little living place, that didn't appear so.

Yao spotted the same car Beilschmidt had driven out in. The type and number plate called out to him. It seemed he truly was there. The Old Civic rumbled as he turned it off. It wasn't the most subtle of cars, but it served the purpose it needed to. Besides, there was no movement from inside the house, no drawing aside of blinds as Beilschmidt noted their arrival. Gun in pocket, Yao stepped out and quietly closed the door. Yong Soo did the same.

"I want you to hang back, aru," Yao whispered. "This could get messy."

Yong Soo nodded and kept at a distance. However, he remained outside the car and just within sight, obscured by some larger trees. Yao's shoes crunched through icy, fallen leaves as he approached the house, slipping the weapon out of its hiding place and clipping the safety off. His heart was hammering in his chest as he neared one of the windows. The curtains were in place, but the lights were on inside. Were they inside that room? If he walked round, perhaps he'd find a better viewpoint.

Yao slipped round the corner, half crouched, but raised his head just enough to see through a crack in the curtains of another window. He could just about make out Mei's dark hair, and saw the hand of someone she was talking to. They were just in the front room. He couldn't see the gun, so Beilschmidt probably held it in his left hand.

Pulling his trusted clip from his pocket, Yao approached the fence. He could easily get in through the back door and have the advantage. He could do this. He could save Mei from Beilschmidt, and complete the case, two in one.

A hand suddenly reached out. Yao's fingers found the gun's trigger and he turned, the barrel facing his attacker, ready to shoot should they move.

Mei tensed, eyes trained on the weapon in his hands. Yao was dumbstruck by the sight of her. How had she managed to escape since the last time he'd seen her? How had she moved so quickly?

"You're OK," he stated, amazed.

Without thinking, Yao pulled her into a hug. He was suddenly filled with such relief at the thought he no longer had to worry about her. Mei wasn't going to die. Somehow, she had escaped. He would ask her about the details later, but Beilschmidt was potentially after them. He would get Yong to call the police and a team would have the madman arrested for his crimes.

"We need to go," Yao grabbed a stunned Mei's wrist and began guiding her away.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, baffled. "Go where?"

"Away from here, aru," he said.

"Hey, Crazy, listen to me," she tugged her hand away from his. "You come here raving with a gun and expect me to do what you say?"

"What?" he blinked.

"Come inside," she said. "Beilschmidt wanted to talk to you."

"Wait, what?" his brows furrowed. "But he's holding you hostage?"

"No, he isn't," Mei sighed. "I'll explain once we're inside. You look like an idiot. Where's Yong Soo?"

"How do you know I brought him?" he asked.

"Because he answered the phone, duh?" she glanced at him as she walked back round. "Oh, there he is. Just standing there."

Yao followed her gaze to see Yong Soo peering awkwardly out of the bushes. Talk about in cognito backup... He waved a hand for him to come over and watched his sidekick scurry across the grass.

"I don't think I understand, aru," he muttered. "Aren't you in danger? Why aren't you grateful that I'm here, aru?"

"Because I'm _not_ in danger, and you look like a prat," she pushed open the front door. "Honestly, why can't the pair of you just arrive like normal people?"

"Hey, your phone call suggested you were in danger," he pointed out. "Don't put the blame on me for panicking."

"You were worried by my _phone call_?" she glanced at him quizzically, holding the door open for Yong Soo.

"Yes, you sounded… you made it sound like you were in danger…" he finished lamely.

"How?" she frowned. "Did I sound scared? Did I mention anything about a gun? The only person here who's a threat to me right now is you."

"You… I don't know," he frowned. "You were very blunt and rushed, aru."

"That's because I was excited to tell you what was going on, but wanted you there in person," she closed the front door and turned on a lamp in the hallway. "It was just easier to explain things face to face."

There was a rosy smell to the house. It was fresh, and Mei seemed to be one for keeping a bare minimum to mess. To Yao, it was like winter had somehow overlooked the house and progressed onwards to spring. Although it wasn't the prettiest of houses, its wallpapers being darkened over the years, with an old looking floral pattern on them, there was something about it that called to him about Mei. There were no pictures in the hallway, but he noticed the nice smell was coming from a small pot of incense sticks.

"Also, never touch me again," she grimaced. "That was kind of weird."

"Yeah, weird," he agreed forcefully. "Awkward. Uncomfortable, really."

She nodded and walked through the house.

"Wait," he hissed, reaching forward and grabbing onto her shoulder. "Are you sure Beilschmidt can be trusted, aru? How did this even happen? You've explained _nothing_."

"We'll tell you in the kitchen," she shrugged his hand away, then raised her voice. "Would you like tea, Yao?"

"Yes, I would love tea," he snapped, then wandered into the kitchen with Yong Soo following after him.

There he was, idly seated in one of Mei's dining room chairs. Gilbert Beilschmidt, as he had been photographed. He wore a jacket over a black T-shirt, jeans and trainers that had seen plenty of use, even becoming damaged over the years. His white hair was messy and the red eyes that turned towards him held no animosity. He had expected him to be a bloodthirsty murderer, seeking to kill and maim, but he saw none of that in this man. Beilschmidt even smiled at the sight of him and Yong entering.

Yao walked round, treating this like an interrogation, sitting directly opposite of his target. To assert true authority, he harshly slapped the gun down on the table, in plain view, eyes never leaving Beilschmidt's, and dropped into his chosen chair. He folded his arms, allowing the message to slowly sink in to the other man. It seemed to take some kind of effect, because his eyes remained warily on the gun and he visibly swallowed. Yong Soo seated himself comfortably beside Yao.

When Mei walked into the room carrying a tray of tea, her eyes darkened to see the gun on the table. However, Yao unrelentingly kept it in plain view, even when she placed his tea before him last. The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

"So…" Gilbert finally said, after holding his mug of tea in his hands for a moment. "It's nice to meet you at last, Detective Wang."

"Cut the crap, Beilschmidt," Yao leant forward. "You killed Niklas Edelstein, didn't you, aru?"

"Oh my God," Mei put her face in her hands.

Beilschmidt laughed a little nervously. "No."

"What's the laugh for, then?" Yao narrowed his eyes.

"If you could only let me explain…" he suggested hopefully.

"Yes, let him explain," Mei groaned. "You can't just jump to conclusions like that."

Yao sat back in his seat and sent a venomous stare towards the German man. Gilbert Beilschmidt shifted in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Before we start anything, I didn't kill Niklas," he said, much to Yao's expectation. "I understand circumstances point towards me, but I wasn't anywhere near the musical theatre – I'd assume I was at home. The first time I saw him dead was when I found him there that morning."

"Evidence?" Yao asked.

Beilschmidt appeared uncomfortable. "I have nothing solid, really… I live alone, and I doubt any of my neighbours were awake late into the night. I can't prove anything much more… All I can say is that I'm not the murderer."

"You were caught on camera at the time of Niklas Edelstein's murder," Yao leant forwards. "We watched the footage, aru. Beilschmidt – honesty is your best option now if you're desperate."

"You caught me on _footage_?" Beilschmidt's brows knitted together. "I don't understand how… I mean, I…"

"Wasn't there?" Yao rummaged through his pockets, pulling out the sheet music. "Can you explain these then? The unfinished writings of Niklas Edelstein, perhaps?"

"Those?" Gilbert looked almost embarrassed at the sight of his messy scrawl across the lines. "I've been composing something of my own, recently…"

"I don't believe that," Yao laid them down on the table.

"Wait, to have gotten these…" Beilschmidt's eyes widened. "You were in my house?"

"Yes," Yao said. "I won't deny it, because it only gives me the lead for more evidence against you, aru. There wasn't a single instrument in your house. How can you compose music without an instrument?"

"I have a flute," Gilbert Beilschmidt replied. "I keep it under the bed… It's kind of embarrassing, but I've always found the flute pretty awesome; my great grandfather used to play it, and I admired him a lot, so… ja. I keep it in a black box, under my bed, but it's got a code on it."

Yao blinked. "What?"

"Ja, I play the flute," Gilbert shrugged nonchalantly. "Anything else, Detective?"

As things began to take an unexpected turn, Yao drummed his fingers on the table. "Why did you suddenly leave?"

"Oh, _that_ ," Gilbert's confidence seemed to drain once again. "Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about."

"Go on, then, aru."

"On Saturday night, I received an odd phone call," the prime suspect admitted nervously. "I don't know who it was – I didn't recognise the voice, and I didn't think to record it or anything at the time. They told me… They told me they were outside my house and that they had a gun and that, if I didn't leave, they would shoot me. I was terrified, I had _no idea_ what to do. For a moment, I considered putting the phone down, but then he said if I disconnected the call, he would shoot me."

"Wait, someone _threatened_ you?" Yao narrowed his eyes. "What stopped you contacting the police earlier? It's almost been two weeks since the death of Niklas Edelstein, and you've had evidence like this all this time?"

"Wait, there _is_ a reason I needed to keep quiet," he fretted. "Once he had my attention, he told me to gather my things together and whatever money I could get and then to follow instructions he had laid out for me. I asked why, and he answered the address of my younger brother. I don't know if you have siblings, but I'm honestly best friends with my little brother, and I can't imagine _anything_ bad happening to him. I would defend him with my life if I could. So, I did exactly what the stranger said. I packed everything I could in a duffel bag, extracted nearly all my bank savings, and got back into my car. He told me there was a house up for rent, and that he'd arranged some late night dealings beforehand. He told me where to direct the money, which is what I did. Hard out cash in a package. Weird, right?"

"Yeah, aru," Yao frowned. "Keep going."

"OK, so I arrived at the little house just as he told me he was outside my brother's house," Gilbert continued. "Hooked, I realised I was bound by what he said until he was finished with me. It came to the point where I didn't even pause to question whether he was telling the truth. I could never risk my awesome brother's life for something like this, and fear kind of put me on autopilot... His instructions were to take the next flight out, but I told him I didn't have the kind of money for travelling. I'm not rich, OK? But that doesn't mean I'm not _happy_. I'm very happy. He told me to wait in the house – he intended to send cash, and have me sent off to some place across the world. It was only then that I began to wonder if I was talking to a dangerous man and, more importantly, the murderer of Niklas. I think he wanted to frame me, to get me beyond the picture so I was unable to defend myself."

"If you were being threatened," Yong Soo said. "How come you're here now?"

"Ah, well, he told me I was being watched and that his people in the area, the guy I'd paid, had tabs on my every movement," he worried at his thumbnail at this point. "My next instructions were to dispose of my phone. I did. I took it to the back of my house, smashed it to pieces with a shovel until it was just pieces, then dumped the fragments in my bin. I'm sorry. I understand now I got rid of the closest evidence possible, but I strongly believe I had no choice. I spent the next few days wondering if his threats were true, but there was no way I could risk any attempts to leave. I stayed until his vicious payment arrived in the post, with written instruction and everything. The first was to memorise the instructions. I did that. I was to take the money and buy a ticket to Germany. I have nothing against my homeland, but I left for a reason. It didn't offer me the awesome future prospects I'd wanted.

"After that, I was to break contact with anyone and everyone," he continued. "I understood that, even if I could never speak to him again, this included my brother. He would find that suspicious; Ludwig's a smart cookie, but a brother must do what he can for his siblings. The last instruction was to stand outside and burn the paper. I took the instructions and walked out into the front garden, flicked on the flames of my awesome lighter, and burnt it to nothing. The paper was no more. I took my car and drove to the airport. All the while, I kept an eye out for anything suspicious, but there were just so many cars going the same way as me that my stalkers could've been any one of them. I arrived and took my one bag through. I bought a ticket, all the while watching for suspicious activity. It's hard; I don't know how you police types catch people, because I couldn't see anything. I checked through customs and was one step away from taking a plane to Germany when-"

"Wait, you just said you checked through…" Yao interrupted.

"Ja, why?" Beilschmidt frowned.

"We ran a check through, but found nothing implying you'd travelled, aru," Yao said. "Is there a reason for this?"

"It really depends when you ran the check," Gilbert replied. "This all happened to me yesterday."

" _Yesterday_?" Yao blinked.

Beilschmidt nodded. "Rather stressful, I know. But that's not the end of my awesome story, Detective."

"Obviously not, aru, because you're still here," Yao folded his arms. "Do continue."

"Right, well, I checked through customs, and that was when rational thought finally returned to me for the first time in days," the German said. "Once I was on the other side, I began to question whether I really needed to travel or not. I knew they were probably waiting to make sure if I was there or not. I did what was sensible. I used what little money I had left to buy myself a meal, and I remained in the airport for nearly twelve hours. I never thought I would _live_ in an airport, but this really is a strange existence. I understand I probably caused an entire flight to delay, but I was _not_ going back to Germany. I waited beyond my flight, and then some more, until finally, I deemed it safe to leave. I left, and here I am. Obviously they had believed me gone."

"How did you not get spotted when at home?" Yao asked.

"Easy – I didn't go back," Gilbert answered. "I stayed at a B & B for the rest of the night, wondering what my strategies would be. I couldn't afford a taxi at this point- I was near broke, man, so I just sped the car away as fast as I legally could and hoped no one was watching. It seems hoping worked out for me..."

"Why did you rent a car in the first place, aru?" Yao asked.

"Ah, I can't afford to have and uphold a car of my own," Gilbert looked embarrassed. "I commute by train. The stranger told me to get that car in the first place. Anyway, I stayed at a B & B. I knew I was probably a wanted man by now, so I couldn't go to the police. They would make my face too public and that risked my little brother. I hung around town, staying undercover, when I overheard that Roderich had hired a PI to find out who had killed his father. That obviously took my interest, so I searched about and ruled out the establishments that weren't currently on the case. That led me to you, but you weren't in at the time, so the young man at the desk told me a few names and faces I could contact. He told me you were likely out of town, so finding you would be harder."

" _Kasam_ spoke to you?" Yao gawked.

"Kasam? I don't know his name, but he was very helpful," Gilbert said. "He was the one who pointed out where Mei lived, and that's how I got here now, getting _her_ to call you instead."

Yao felt anger boil within. " _Kasam_ knows where _you_ live, aru?"

That was directed at Mei, who looked indignant. "Kiku's the only one, so it was probably him. What do you care anyway?"

"I don't," Yao scowled. "No matter, this has all been valuable information, aru. I'll have details on your passport chased up just to see if they match with your story. Quite frankly, this changes a lot. You don't know _anything_ about the mysterious caller?"

"Hmm, one thing," Gilbert said adamantly.

"Tell me, aru."

"It was a man."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Well, this is certainly a crucial chapter... I really hope you enjoyed this week's work! If anyone has any thoughts or feelings concerning Investigasians, **feel free to leave a review**! Honestly, hearing from everyone just makes me, as a writer, super happy, and I really like replying to what people have to say! For now, though, you'll all hear from me next week! Thank you!_


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N:** _Has it already been a week since I last posted? It honestly feels like time is just flying by! I've been completely wrapped up in an essay they only gave us a week to research for a write... I didn't think that was fair, considering some people don't have to write this essay until like late November/start of December, depending on the Seminar group we were placed in. It's put a lot of stress on me, so I wasn't very well last night! I'm a trooper, though, and I've just been itching to immerse myself into the world of Hetalia FanFiction, as sad as that may sound!_

 _Speaking of Hetalia in general, I've been notified that the Dubbed of World Twinkle is coming out on the 9th of November! I mean, that's less than a month away. I'm a massive fan of the Dubbed Hetalia- I'd probably say I prefer it to the Subbed, which is rare for me in anime- so I'm just glad to get another dose of Hetalia this year. Also, as is the pattern between Twinkle and Beautiful World, the later came out in 2013, and the former in 2015, so I'm hoping the next season may make an appearance in 2017/2018. I'm a desperate fangirl!_

 _Without further ado, the next chapter is here!_

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

* * *

Formalities had been carried out after that. "Did you get along with Niklas Edelstein?" "Not in particular, nein." "We heard you were suspended. Were you bitter about this, as well as Niklas Edelstein's refusal to kick start your music career?" "I was angry at first, sure, but nothing to kill him over. I got over it." "You liked your job?" "Loved it." "Was that you we caught on the footage?" "No."

It was Yong Soo who had rounded on the last question. "Are there clippers usually stored in the music theatre?"

Gilbert Beilschmidt had been surprised. "Yes, but they're only used for emergencies. There's a storage cupboard in the janitor's room under the theatre. You need keys to get in them, though, and only staff have access to keys."

That last sentence had brought Yao's attention. He had vigorously pondered that whilst arrangements for Gilbert Beilschmidt had been discussed. The idea of it being staff only meant that their list of suspects was brutally narrowed down. He hadn't thought about the clippers for some time, now, but they must've come from _somewhere_ within the facility. That would be something that would be investigated soon enough.

Meanwhile, his teammates had had their own plans. It seemed, for his own protection, Gilbert Beilschmidt would be crashing at Mei's place, sleeping on her sofa, until the murderer was found and the case was closed. Whilst the idea of a stranger and still potential killer (for he could've been lying at this stage) being in the same house as her made Yao feel uncomfortable, there was little he could do. They were already set on their ideas, and Beilschmidt had promised not to be a trouble. In a mood, Yao had left that place, Yong Soo at his heels. There had been no conversation in the car ride home.

The next morning, Yao had wanted to get straight into things. Mei was working, so it was just he and Yong Soo who went to the music theatre early on a Thursday morning. Today marked an official ten days since Yao had first taken up the case. He had begun to wonder if his living expenses had taken more than the promised money made by Roderich. He knew his ramen consumption had increased with the amount of times he was eating at Kiku's during the day. However, he remained determined to reap his monetary reward, so frog marched Yong Soo to the music theatre.

His sidekick didn't seem to mind. He was unusually enthusiastic, with a seeming determination to get going. In fact, he seemed so into the case that he initiated their course of route throughout the day.

"I think we need to take another look at the footage," he'd said.

"We'll have to ask Lei about that," Yao had handed his phone to him whilst driving. "For which case, do it now. It took us long enough to get it from the police and Officer Arsehole from the start, and if we can get ahead of the game, that's fine by me."

The result had been a tired and angry Lei telling them he'd burned a copy of the footage onto his computer. Yao was fairly sure that was illegal, but a lot of what Lei did wasn't within the law, so he'd barely questioned him on that. What he _did_ tell him to do, though, was to check the passports once more, to ensure if Beilschmidt was telling the truth. Lei had grumbled about doing it later before hanging up. Yao took that as a good sign.

The music theatre had seen its official reopening. There were no more police cars surrounding it, so people milled in and out, eager for the oncoming events that had built up and been planned for its grand return. Even Roderich Edelstein had set forth his own concert to welcome the public to the new music theatre.

"He moves on quickly," Yao muttered under his breath upon seeing the sign.

The pair of them wandered inside without any difficulties. The lobby was packed with people excitedly chattering about a show that was about to begin, and others booking tickets for later dates. Some had arrived to collect their tickets.

Amongst them, Yao spotted the elegant figure of Roderich Edelstein. He was dressed well, formal and proud, his hair brushed and neatly styled. He walked about receiving condolences from those who vaguely knew him in the music society, but also gaining congratulations on achieving his first concert solely written by him. The moment he laid eyes on Yao and Yong Soo, his entire countenance changed. His eyes darkened, shoulders slumped slightly, and the rest of his body became unnaturally rigid. They weren't on the best of terms, so Yao knew his intrusion in the young master's career would only bother his client. He pressed forwards nevertheless and faced Roderich.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, guiding Yao away from the centre of the crowd and to a back office. "Because I assume this isn't about the show… Did you find Beilschmidt? Did _he_ kill my father?"

"I actually came to ask permission to access the underground area once again," Yao admitted. "I can't currently disclose any of my findings, but I feel we're getting closer to the revelation."

"I take that as a 'no' about Beilschmidt, then," the light left his eyes and a tight frown formed on his majestic features. "Fine, take a look down there. Take these keys to move around. Just don't interrupt the oncoming show. This is a reopening and I want it to go smoothly."

"Understood," Yao nodded, and pushed open the door.

He wandered back into the busy lobby, eyes scanning the small room for Yong Soo's lanky form. He was easy to find, in conversation with none other than Giuliano Zwingli. Roderich seemed affronted by the very sight of them, but said nothing when his father's nemesis caught sight of him.

"We have permission," Yao said, tapping Yong Soo by the shoulder.

He didn't want to be involved in the feuds of rich families. Zwingli patted his sidekick's shoulder and wandered through the room to Roderich for a personal conversation. His two children followed, leaving Yong Soo at the hands of Yao.

"Since when did you get so friendly with Giuliano Zwingli?" he asked.

Yong Soo shrugged. "He took a liking to me. Who am I to deny the friendship of someone rich and powerful?"

"Tactics – I finally see how you function, aru," Yao and his assistant took the steps down through the backway.

They had one purpose in mind, and that was to find the drawer that Beilschmidt had mentioned in the janitor's room. Yao assumed that was the place where William James' body had been discovered. Retracing his steps from all those days ago, he wandered into the small room, Yong Soo right behind him.

It had seen intense cleaning since they'd last been there. No traces of James could be found, and the smell of the room was overbearingly sterile. It was like a hospital room, with all the chemical smells. A lot of the furniture was no longer present, likely to be replaced, and the desk had been cleared of all personal belongings. A tragic event had been instantly deleted from the world, but at least William's murder scene had been witnessed. Yao pulled out the keys and glanced around the room, but his searching eyes were unsuccessful in their findings.

"We're looking for the compartment Beilschmidt mentioned," he murmured, ducking to peer under the desk.

"What about these filing cabinets?" Yong Soo asked.

"He said a storage cupboard," Yao turned and noticed a steel box attached to the wall.

Approaching it, he tried several of the keys in the lock. Most were unsuccessful, as he'd expected, but then one fit and he swung it open. Half expecting it to be an electrical unit, he was pleased to see the empty space, the dust still forming the faint shape of where clippers were to go. Naturally, he expected the police would hold onto the murder weapon. However, this was proof that the clippers needed the keys to obtain this. To have ended William's life, the murderer would have needed keys to access the clippers. That meant the murderer was someone who had access to keys – a member of staff or management.

"What do you think, Yong?" Yao asked. "Seems pretty strange to me, aru."

"I think we need to take another look at the footage," he repeated anxiously. "Just to make perfectly sure that Beilschmidt isn't _actually_ the killer after all."

He didn't know why Yong Soo was acting so nervous, but then recalled that Beilschmidt wasn't entirely innocent until proven otherwise. He was still a threat to Mei, and currently, he was living under the same roof as her.

* * *

It had been a busy day for her. She had finished work, only to come home to Gilbert tidying her house to the point of perfection. She hadn't minded at first, until he'd commented on the overflowing laundry and had set about to that. He was strangely maternal, and since she hated doing housework, she had let him do that. She had to rush out to the supermarket to buy more food fit for an extra person, which she had done straight after work, and had organised food around the fridge for that purpose. Although it was a financial setback, she had anticipated looking after another human wouldn't have been easy.

It was only when she'd sorted out everything that Gilbert had approached her with an anxious expression on his face.

"Is everything OK?" she'd asked.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a favour…" he had twiddled his thumbs.

"Yeah, sure."

"Since I'm not allowed out, I was wondering if you could check on my brother?" he'd winced, watching her every movement. "Maybe tell him I'm OK?"

Mei had contemplated that for a moment, but then deemed it was fine. As long as Gilbert wasn't moving around in public, that was fine. Besides, seeing his brother and reassuring him of his older brother's safety hardly affected Yao's mission and confidentiality of it all. In other words, there was no reason for her _not_ to help him.

"Of course," she had smiled. "Give me an address and I'll go there right now."

That was how she'd ended up in the middle of the city, idly following a map and generally avoiding any area where she could potentially encounter Yao. She didn't want any awkward complications about her having left Gilbert home alone. She was determined to help the German set his brother's mind at peace. His instructions led her to a garage that presumably had a living area above it. It was more of a manufacturing workplace, but there were a couple of cars that had been brought in for repairs and maintenance. There was something orderly and professional about the place. Mei liked it; the sign ' _Beilschmidt & Co._' was pretty self-explanatory; she was in the right place.

There was no door to knock, but she was met relatively quickly by a young man, tall and extremely well-built, wearing a white tank top and baggy combat trousers tucked into ankle high military fashion boots. In his hand he held a spanner, and he looked in the middle of work. With the way Gilbert had referred to him as "little" brother, she had expected someone small and in their late teens. _This_ man was handsome, with a strong, defined jaw and particularly masculine features. He radiated the aura of man; Mei wondered if there were other benefits to being linked to Gilbert.

"Hello?" he asked in a deep, firm voice.

"Uh, hi," she offered a sweet smile. "I was wondering… is Ludwig Beilschmidt around?"

"That would be me," he said stoically.

It seemed he had a pretty stony personality, too, because he remained impassive in her attempts to appear cute. That, or she just wasn't cute. Stubborn Mei chose to think he was just resistant.

"Can we talk somewhere a little more…" she glanced around. "Private?"

Ludwig shrugged and motioned for her to follow. He led her to a small, cramped office that looked fit for only three people at a time. He offered her a seat, which she took, and put a pair of reading glasses on.

"Is there something you need?" he asked. "Has something happened?"

"Actually, I came here to speak on behalf of your brother, Gilbert," she explained, and watched his body tense.

"He's supposed to be under police surveillance," Ludwig said slowly. "Where is he?"

Mei swallowed, choosing her words carefully. "I have information enough to say your brother is innocent, but in hiding. He's now allowed to come out, but he wanted to let you know he was doing well."

"I see," Ludwig set his pencil on his desk and assessed her carefully. "And you heard this from him?"

She nodded. "I actually work alongside a PI. Please trust me when I say I speak on behalf of your brother."

"Right, well…" he tapped his fingers on the desk. "I'm glad he's OK… and not a murderer… Wherever he is, does he have a good supply of potatoes and sausages? He loves those foods… And beer. I suppose… tell him I'm fine. He'll want to know that."

He fell silent, so Mei had to assume he'd finished speaking. "Right, yes, I'll make sure he's sufficiently supplied. He'll be glad to hear you're doing well."

The room hushed, and the two sat in a short, awkward silence. It seemed Ludwig wasn't as talkative as Gilbert was, and it also seemed their conversation had come to a swift close. Nodding with a slight smile, Mei stood, and the younger Beilschmidt repeated her movements, shaking her hand gently, as if doing business rather than hearing his brother was free of charge.

"Danke," he said, as she was leaving. However, Mei didn't speak German, so wasn't sure what he meant.

As soon as she was out of view, she chose to reconsider her plans. She had bought potatoes, sure, but she hadn't even thought about what meats Gilbert would like. She had focused on the chicken she normally ate, and sometimes beef, but had never thought about the dietary preferences of her guest. Taking a quick detour back to the supermarket, she pounced straight for the meat section. Carefully browsing their wares of sausage, she eventually picked a basic pork one and hoped Gilbert wasn't fussy with what he ate. She paused, considering this. What if, being his favourite food, he was a gourmet concerning sausages? She set the plain ones back down and looked at the slightly more expensive ones.

"Mei Xiao? Is that you?" she raised her head and glanced to the side to see Elizabeta Hédeváry approaching, a sunny smile on her face. "It _is_ you! How are you?"

It was a surprise to see her, considering the last time she'd seen the young woman was her mysterious late night travels. However, Mei feigned ignorance and beamed back. For all she knew, this woman was the real murderer.

"I'm doing good," she replied. "What about you? How are things at home? Is Roderich coping?"

"Don't worry about Roderich," she chuckled. "He's made of sterner stuff. Actually, he's running a return concert this evening, which I'll definitely be attending. We're having a dinner beforehand, which I'm really excited about. As for me? I'm handling things _just fine_. You know, I actually saw Yao the other day. You all are so busy, but I always find I never get to really _know_ any of you."

Mei nodded with a slight laugh. "What can I say? We get preoccupied."

"You know, we should have a chat, just you and I," Elizabeta suddenly said. "Woman to woman, I always say, over for afternoon tea."

"Today?" Mei blinked.

"Yes, you ought to come over, whilst we're here," Elizabeta suddenly pondered. "We can have a nice lunch, talk about… anything, really. Just anything. That would be nice…"

"It would be," she agreed, wondering if she was detecting hints of loneliness from the other woman. Had something... happened between she and Roderich? They never seemed to be with one another recently, despite the dinner planned tonight...

"Here's an idea, then," Elizabeta smiled. "Be at my house for six. I should have everything ready, then – it's too late for lunch, really, but tea and cakes is still in time for me! That sounds wonderful, right?"

Mei caught herself nodding in agreement.

Elizabeta patted her on the shoulder. "I'll see you there, then."

Sausage forgotten, Mei wandered off into the supermarket, urgently needing to ready herself at home for her sudden plans.

* * *

Yao and Yong Soo had arrived back to find Lei hard at work. Yao had been surprised, considering the young man acted like a teenager and rarely did things. However, he had been diligently sat at the screens, the room illuminated blue by their garish glow.

"I have the result of the passports," he said. "Everything stands as what Beilschmidt said. I think it's safe to say he's been telling the truth about this whole person on the phone thing."

"I guess so," Yao nodded. "And I thought we were _so_ close."

"We still have the footage to look at," Yong Soo said. "He may have orchestrated this beforehand."

"He's hardly financially set for stunts like that, but I suppose anything to escape the slammer…" Lei had changed to screen for them to take a look. "Take as long as you want."

* * *

Mei stepped out of the car she'd borrowed from Kiku. He had been wonderful about it, as usual, but she still felt bad about constantly using his things. Although twenty minutes early, she had arrived at the wonderful stately house of Roderich and Elizabeta. Anxious, her feet carried her to the door. As Elizabeta counted as the client, she needed to be careful about what she said. She raised her hand, lifted the knocker, and let it drop down three times.

* * *

After watching the footage, Yao came to the same conclusion: it was the janitor.

"I don't understand," he complained. "There were only two janitors, and we've proved they can't be the killer. What now?"

"Watch it again," Yong Soo said, and Lei replayed the video. "Stop here."

"What is it, aru?" Yao asked.

"Look at that person – it can't possibly be Gilbert Beilschmidt," he tapped the screen.

"Why not?" Lei asked.

"You should look at how he's built; he's much sturdier compared to this person," Yong Soo said. "Taller, as well. This person's smaller, slimmer – you could even say they're almost effeminate."

"Effeminate?" Yao glanced at his sidekick, then let his eyes drift back to the screen and the person on it.

It was true; the size of the person couldn't have been taller than him – he'd easily deduct they were smaller. The uniform made their gender unclear, now that he was looking, but he could see what Yong Soo was edging towards.

"Rich people pay others to do all sorts of things for them," he said. "What's to say the voice Beilschmidt heard was only someone who'd been given money?"

"Are you trying to say it might not necessarily be a _man_ who murdered Niklas Edelstein?" Yao felt his blood go cold.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say," Yong's eyes were on the screen. "I think it's perfectly within reason to believe that the killer could be a woman."

There was only one woman Yao could think of, and he could definitely say she had access to the keys.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I hope this was enjoyable to read! I quite liked writing this chapter, so I hope you guys like it! Thank you for supporting Investigasians, and I hope to have a much more pleasant week starting from tomorrow. I have no essays due next week... just reading, which is a lot more manageable! Until next time!_


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N:** _Hello, everyone! I hope everyone's had a good week! Mine began a little rough, because I've had this particularly nasty cough (and then I got an eye infection... which I'm still dealing with but it's much less painful now...)- in other words, I've just been ill this entire week and struggling to keep my life going, aha! I'm feeling much better, though! I've managed to eat an entire bag of chocolate raisins, and it's rather painful just thinking about it... I love them so much!_

 _I went to a chocolate festival yesterday, and there was a chocolate fountain where you basically got a cup of chocolate, strawberries, marshmallows, a brownie and a flake... It was so delicious, despite the hour and a half wait... Worth it, too... I was also thinking of starting to scrapbook- I think I need something creative to keep my mind preoccupied from time to time!_

 _Anyway, without further ado, the next chapter is here!_

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

* * *

Yao had never run towards the Old Civic so quickly. After considering the actual build of the character caught on tape, he needed to let Mei know their findings. Had she been correct this entire time, with her decision to follow Hédeváry? Had Mei endangered herself that night? He had no idea, but she deserved to know the truth, rather than aimlessly throw herself into another dangerous situation of tailing Elizabeta late into the night. Yao was all about the protection of each Investigasian. As much as he would've denied it, around ten days ago, Mei was just as much a part of the group as he was. He had come to respect and regard her as a formal member. That was why he had been so bothered about the idea of Beilschmidt being in her house.

Any potential threat to an individual under his watch was a threat to Yao's authority and position. He believed himself blameful if anything were to happen to any of them.

He was about to start the car when he noticed Yong Soo wasn't present. Desperately, he glanced around, only to see his sidekick battle his way out to the front of the music theatre, and dash across the parking lot towards the Old Civic. He winced as a car halted to a stop and blared its horn, the young man's eyes widening as he skipped across the road towards his car. Yao was tempted to drive away, to abandon him to his shame and pretend he didn't know such a fool, however, he allowed a tight frown of pity to spread across his face as he stared Yong Soo down.

"Where were you, aru?" he demanded, as his sidekick slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut behind him.

"I thought I'd at least hand the keys back to Edelstein," Yong Soo huffed. "Since you suddenly went on a mad rush, Aniki. He has every right to know when we arrive and when we leave."

"Fine," he didn't wait for the student to put on his seatbelt, but instead set off driving down the road, determination pulling him along. "We're going to Mei's house, by the way."

"You know, this is probably the reason she never told you where she lived," Yong sighed. "She didn't want you driving wildly around her street almost every day."

"This is a special occasion, aru," he snapped. "She needs to know our findings."

"Couldn't you just call her?" Yong asked.

"I _could_ ," Yao scowled. "But she might want to discuss things, and I personally don't like doing that over the phone. Anyone could be listening into a phone conversation; you just never know these things."

"Right," his assistant was unconvinced, but he chose to ignore him.

The Old Civic ploughed through the city, until it finally broke free from the traffic. He could guess Mei would be home. Their analysis of the film had taken them long enough, and it had already gone five. She usually took the train home, so Yao expected her to be there before them. He took the windy path down to the small cottage she lived in and parked the car where he'd left it last time. The little house looked lonely, hidden amongst trees and shrubs, but the overgrown look was somewhat appealing to him. He could envision himself living in something like this.

Stepping out of the car, Yao let it swing shut, just as Yong Soo copied his movements, leaving the Old Civic. With a flick of the keys, the lights flashed and it was locked. He drew his coat a little closer to himself and strolled up the pathway, boots crunching on the sandy, gravelly path and the dead leaves that had long drifted down since the passing of autumn. Snow was struggling to stay. It wasn't quite cold enough that it could settle, but he knew it was coming soon. His breaths were hot plumes in the air. He stopped at the front door and knocked.

There was a long pause. Yao peered around to see if there were any signs of life, but there appeared to be none. Was it possible Mei wasn't home yet? He checked his watch. It was twenty to six. It was in his full belief that Mei should've been back from work again. He tried the door again. She didn't have a doorbell. More waiting followed, and yet, no one answered the door. Was Gilbert not in?

"I think she's out," Yong Soo commented. "Not sure about Beilschmidt…"

Yao began to worry. Although they had already proved time and time again that it couldn't possibly be Gilbert who was the murderer, he still couldn't get the thought that he was a dangerous individual out of his mind. He knocked again, just be safe.

"Aniki, she's not in," Yong Soo sighed.

"I'm just making sure, aru," he grumbled, just as the door opened a crack to reveal Gilbert's red eyes peering back. "Oh?"

"Oh, it's just you, Detective," he swung door wide open and ushered them inside.

The house was a changed place. The familiar clutter had been cleared away completely. Gilbert Beilschmidt had gutted the rubbish out and organised everything accordingly. Mei's house had become very much like his, impersonal yet professional. Yao wasn't sure what to think of it. Even the smell of flowers in the air had been replaced by some kind of air freshener, and Beilschmidt seemed to have left a few of the back windows open. However, it really was _just_ Gilbert in the house. There was no sign of Mei.

"I'm not opening the door recently," Gilbert admitted, guiding them into the kitchen. "I worry that, one day, I'll swing open the door and it'll be the police or even the henchman standing on the other side."

"Why did you open it, then?" Yong Soo asked.

"I was listening near the door after I heard you knock," Gilbert frowned. "I wasn't sure how to identify who was on the other side without being seen myself, something I really can't risk right now. However, since I'm awesome, I came up with the idea for voice recognition. This house isn't very thick; you can hear outside noise really easily. I recognised Mr Detective's voice."

"Mr Wang, aru," Yao corrected.

"Ah, right, Mr Wang," his German routes almost made it seem like he was saying 'Vang', but Yao didn't mind. He thought it best to stay on formal terms with Beilschmidt rather than befriend him. "Anyway, what brought you here? I wasn't expecting anyone to come by."

"That's because we didn't call in, aru," he said. "Where's Mei?"

"Mei?" he blinked. "Mei's out."

"When will she be back?" he asked, glancing out the window, half expecting her to be irritably running down the drive.

"It's a woman's tea thing," Beilschmidt pulled a face. "So I can't be sure, really…"

"A _woman's tea thing_?" Yao glanced at him incredulously. "What's that?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure – a tea party, I guess?" Gilbert shrugged. " She was quite vague... Hey, it wasn't awesome enough for the awesome me to enquire into. Do you two want drinks? I assume this is urgent enough for you to wait her out."

"I'm fine," Yao said. "Do you even know where she is, aru?"

He noted how Gilbert Beilschmidt had become suddenly confident, now that he was no longer under suspicion. His relaxed body language told Yao he was making himself too comfortable in Mei's house.

"With Elizabitch," he scowled, then nervously chuckled. "Sorry, I really don't like her at all, but at least the feeling's mutual… She came in really late and told me she was going round Elizabeta's house. They're having tea and cake; I think that's what she said."

"She's at Elizabeta's house?" Yao felt his blood run cold.

"Yeah, why?" Gilbert made himself coffee.

"Coincidence," Yong Soo stepped in, before Yao could speak. "We were just heading over there. Funny how things turn out."

Gilbert snorted. "You came out all this way for _nothing_. Ja, she's at Elizabeta's house. Tea and cakes. Maybe you'll get there in time?"

"Maybe," Yong Soo nodded, grasping at Yao's shoulder. "Come on, Aniki."

"That's right, aru," he nodded firmly, snapping back into reality. "We can't waste another minute. Thanks, Mr Beilschmidt."

"Just Gilbert," he called out after them. "Have fun, I guess?"

Yao slammed the door shut behind him and hurried along the path to the Old Civic. He was gutted at how quickly fortunes had changed. Mei seemed to be unconsciously throwing herself into the quicksand in the past few days, and it had really put Yao on edge. It would take ages for Yao to reach Roderich and Elizabeta's house. He desperately hoped the pair of them would make it in time.

"My phone," he told Yong Soo, holding out the device. "Call her."

"Are you sure?" Yong's eyes widened. "What if Hédeváry's stalling for the best moment to attack? She might want to draw it out, put Mei in a comfortable environment. Calling may only alert her to our arrival."

"I don't care, aru," Yao replied. "I need to make sure Mei's alive."

"Alright, then," his sidekick called her number and waited.

There was a tense pause as Yao swung out onto the main road and began speeding along. He kept anxiously glancing at Yong Soo, noting the impassive expression on his face.

"Disconnected," Yong Soo grimaced. "She's evidently not in a talkative mood."

"That, or she's dead and Elizabeta hung up, aru," Yao snapped.

"That's only suspicious," the young man replied. "Trust me when I say it was Mei who disconnected the call."

Although reluctant, Yao finally conceded. He gave his approval with a short nod, but continued down the road in a crazed manner, eager to cut down the amount of time it took to get to their destination. In no way would he ever allow a false sense of security blanket him. From now on, Yao would make sure Mei never went into the danger alone. He didn't want to find something had happened to her.

In the distance, he heard the wailing of a police siren and raised his eyes to the rear view mirror. A car was flashing its red and blue lights, aimed towards them, and rounded them off to the side of the road. Yao groaned, but complied, choosing not to get on the bad side of the cops. It only made investigating more miserable, and getting past Officer Arsehole was bad enough. His groan became increasingly louder and more inside his head to see Officer Kirkland step out of the police car and lightly tap at the driver's window with an indolent knuckle.

Wearing the fiercest of scowls he could muster, Yao rolled down the window and watched mock surprise appear on the policeman's face.

"What? Yao Wang?" his voice was laced with fake astonishment. "Never in a million years did I expect _you_ to be speeding down the road, _breaking the law_."

He leant out of the window, desperate. "I don't have _time_ for this, Arthur."

"That's Officer Kirkland to you, civilian," Arthur began writing down a note on a ticket. "I might have to give you a speeding fine for such insolence, really…"

"Fine, do it – just do it _quickly_ ," Yao said.

Arthur's smug expression became suddenly sullen. "Whatever. A hundred quid and three penalty points, since you're so eager. Expect something in the mail in the next two weeks or so. If you fail to pay, you _could_ end up in a court case, and I most certainly will pick you up on this again if I catch you speeding. It would be difficult to host a crooked detective agency without a driver's license..."

Bitterly, Yao pinched the ticket from the policeman's fingers. Out of all the people it had to have been, it was, of course, Arthur.

"On your way now," Arthur smiled thinly. "And remember – no speeding!"

Yao nodded as he rolled up his window and slid past the police car. He checked himself quickly, before matching his pace to the rest of the cars on the road. Yong Soo wore a grimace, and Yao couldn't help but look in the rear view mirror every now and then, just to see the self-satisfied look of the driver behind him. Unfortunately, it stayed that way for a considerable amount of time. The positioning of Mei's house in relation to Edelstein's meant he had to drive through the city and, as a result, battle his way through the six o'clock traffic. With a dismal sigh, he let the ticket flutter into Yong Soo's lap.

"Do with it what you like," he complained. "I'm just done, aru."

"At least it's not Monday," Yong Soo had replied, an attempt to be helpful that only grated on Yao instead.

They spent the next forty-five minutes or so deadlocked in busy traffic. He managed to crawl out the other side eventually, and even then movement wasn't speedy due to the amount of cars on the road. However, he escaped Officer Kirkland. He wasn't prepared to risk the art of speeding again. Yao wasn't even sure he could pay the one hundred pound fine given. Thoughts like that only made him the gloomier, so he tried not to relish too much in them.

If Elizabeta had planned to kill Mei tonight, then they were possibly too late. His heart lurched at the thought. Yao didn't want to think his careless actions had led Mei to an early demise. Combined with boundless pride, Mei's lack of caution had walked her straight into the enemy's house. If they happened to be too late, Yao would do all within his power to make sure her sacrifice wasn't worthless.

He swung into Roderich Edelstein's fancy drive and leapt out of the car. For once, Yao didn't bother locking the doors. It was such an impressively private estate that anyone entering would be spotted within moments. Besides, compared to the expensive cars sitting beside it, the Old Civic was hardly worth chancing a glance at. He grabbed the door knocker and repeatedly hammered on it for three seconds straight.

"Aniki, _calm_ ," Yong Soo hurried to his side, anxious young face turned towards the door and what was potentially on the other side.

He was just reaching for the door again when a harassed Elizabeta Hédeváry answered the door. He watched her wild green eyes widen in surprise, only to then soften and be replaced by mild curiosity.

"Detective Wang?" she opened the door wider for him. "Is everything OK?"

Storming in, he glanced around the house. "I heard Mei was here?"

"Mei?" she chuckled. "Yes, Mei's here, but _why_ are you so _anxious_? Has something happened?"

Yao stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards the owner of the house. She was dressed formally, ready to go out, it seemed, with her hair and makeup done. There was an amused expression dancing in her eyes, and her mouth was quirked into near laughter. Was she laughing at him because she already knew his intentions; because she was aware of what had truly happened to Mei? Or was this just bemusement at another's erratic behaviour? Yao suddenly felt a fool, so shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and attempted to look aloof.

"Where's Roderich, aru?" he asked calmly.

"Roderich's at the music theatre," she said. "He's been there _all day_ , busy with arrangements for tonight's concert. He's actually dropping by at eight to come pick me up. Why?"

"Ah, was just wondering," he continued to glance around.

"You're an idiot, you know that, right?"

He stopped and turned, to see Mei standing in the doorway. Rather than pleased to see him, she looked annoyed. That was never a good sign, considering she usually only became less inclined to communicate with him as time progressed. He tried to ward off any anxiousness, but the judgemental, cold stare was not comforting.

"I was only wondering…" he admitted. "You weren't home, aru."

"You tried to _call_ me," she scowled. "Whatever happened to texting? Why am I going to answer _your_ calls when I'm having a perfectly good time with Elizabeta?"

Lost for words, Yao only offered a mere shrug.

"Whatever," she sighed. "Your journey here is wasted. I drove here in Kiku's car and I intend to return it by the end of the day."

"Ah, right, well…" Yao shifted from foot to foot.

"I feel terrible," Elizabeta said melodically. "Having come out all this way, only to have to go back! How about, when Roderich comes, you come to the music theatre with us and watch the show?"

"The show?" Yao blanched. "I'm afraid we haven't bought tickets for that."

"It's fine," she waved a hand. "There's spare VIP seats. Roderich might not be too pleased, but think of it as a token of my gratitude; for taking on our case, and looking into his father's death."

Yao couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could the woman who had murdered Niklas Edelstein be offering them free tickets to her fiancé's show? When he, Yao, had shown such suspicious behaviour that inclined towards her? Elizabeta Hédeváry confused Yao. Maybe that was why she was potentially such a dangerous individual?

"He's honestly been very ratty about that recently, but I'm glad he's getting back into the music," she continued, oblivious to the hurricane of mad thoughts swirling around his head. "It always makes him a calmer person. He loves the music, so I'm hoping it'll bring a part of him back that… ebbed when Niklas… when he died."

"Of course we'll come," Mei said excitedly, equally unaware to what was going on beneath the surface.

"When did you say Roderich would be getting here?" Yao asked tiredly.

"Eight," she replied.

That gave them two hours before the client had even arrived. Yao wondered if Elizabeta truly was the killer. A significant portion of evidence was pointing towards her, yet not enough for Yao to be flinging accusations in her face. He was bothered by something, though. It had been on his mind for quite some time, and it felt appropriate to bring it up whilst he was present.

"Miss Hédeváry, I was just wondering what time Roderich left the party…" he rocked on his heels, anxious that she should take offence similar to as he did.

Her green eyes flitted towards him. He watched her mouth stiffen and her entire body tense. However, she took it rather gracefully, allowing her demeanour to become quickly relaxed once more, smiling with ease.

"Actually, Detective Wang, can we save this for tomorrow morning?" her tone was friendly, pleasant, even, but the underlying warning was noticeable. "After all, this is an important day in Roderich's career, and I don't want anything to dampen his mood."

All eyes were on him. Her refusal was blatant. But it meant nothing.

Yao managed an easy-going smile. "That's perfectly understandable, Miss Hédeváry."

This woman possibly a murderer. The look on her face was innocent, a mask that could fool anyone.

"It wasn't anything urgent, anyway."

Yao wasn't fooled.

* * *

 **A/N:** _That's all for this week! I'm sorry if it seems a little slack, and it's a little late... but it's here! I really hope it doesn't seem like nothing's happening, but this case has just been full of ups and downs! I don't want it to drag on but, equally, I don't want to rush it out- I want everything to make sense in the end! Thank you for patience and until next time! If you want to leave a review, please do so! I love reading and replying to what everyone has to say!_


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N:** _Hello everyone! The time for Hallowe'en is coming, and I have my costume in the making. Bizarrely, I'm going as Puss In Boots, from Shrek, which isn't exactly scary... but I think it's all about the dressing up spirit on this one! My friend is going as Shrek! I recently got green contact lenses, as I'm preparing to cosplay as Nyotalia England in a con at the end of November- this'll be my first cosplay, so I really hope all the items arrive! I was a bit late ordering the dress... but it's been dispatched, so fingers crossed that it'll arrive on time! Anyway, if this cosplay goes right, Nyotalia England- I usually call her 'Rose'- will probably become my go-to cosplay. I'm really looking forwards to it! Anyway, I'll use a couple of green contact lenses for Puss In Boots, too!_

 _I've recently started badminton again- I used to play at school. Three hours with 15 minute breaks here and there against some guys who are **really good**. I used to be one of the best at school, but compared to some people I feel like an absolute newbie... That's actually not off-putting, though. The badminton communities I've been involved with are always so lovey; I don't think I've ever met a horrible badminton player. Anyway, it's my exercise of the week- if you ignore the 20 minute walk from my flat to campus every day- so it's definitely very fun. Also, I think I'm improving. I've played for 7 years, but stopped for a year and I was very rusty when first starting again... For anyone who hasn't tried badminton, it's definitely the sport for you if you like racket sports but aren't such a huge fan of either tennis, table tennis or squash._

 _As for me, it's reading week now! That means I have no lectures/seminars for the next week, so I can be lazier than usual! I shall have to cram read anything I haven't done already, but that's not a problem to me. I'll be going home for most of the week, after Hallowe'en, so I'm really looking forwards to seeing my family and pets again. It's been about 3 weeks of total independence; I'm rather proud of myself._

 _Enough about me, and more about Yao: the next chapter of Investigasians is here!_

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

* * *

Roderich Edelstein didn't even attempt to conceal the obvious disdain in his face at the sight of Yao and Yong Soo in his house once again. He had opened the door, announced his arrival in a cheerful tone Yao could never associate with him, only to then wander into the sitting room and see his unexpected guests. The visible slump of his shoulders as he took in Yao, and the slight grimace that tugged at the corners of his mouth when his gaze travelled to Yong Soo, would've been comical had they been displayed in a reality TV show, or even a comedy programme. However, this was unrestrained dislike in the real world. Yao had never realised the relationship with his client had become so dire, but was worried now that it was presented right before him. He offered a weak smile that was not returned. Yao was going to have to work incredibly hard to recover a stable status with the client.

"Elizabeta?" that was all he said.

"They're coming as guests to the production," she beamed. "Isn't that wonderful? Detective Wang was happy to hear your music and I think it's the perfect way to thank him for all the hard work he's done so far."

Roderich's dark purple gaze bore into Yao's soul. He did not sit down, but instead remained, stiff and awkward in the doorway.

"Well, _I_ think it's wonderful," Elizabeta added somewhat sullenly when she received no response.

"Ja," he dipped his head in disdain, and looked at his feet. "We ought to go. Otherwise we'll be late."

"We'll take our own cars," Mei interjected quickly.

Yao watched as Roderich seemed more pleased to hear that than anything else that had been flung around so far. Elizabeta nodded in pleasant agreement, and they all stood, ready to leave. Yao fell into step beside Mei.

"That's not even _your_ car you're driving around, aru," he whispered harshly.

"I know," she said. "Which is why we're going to make a brief stop at the Honda Ramen Bar, where I can make a quick switch amongst the cars."

"Right, aru," he whipped his keys from his pocket when Roderich opened the door to let in an icy blast of air.

Since he hadn't bothered to lock the car, Yong Soo and he only had to dive into their seats. As they were taking up the drive, he reversed quickly out, angled himself, and crawled out on the road. He left the private lane and dipped into the main road on the way back to the city.

"That was weird," Yong Soo admitted.

"I know right," Yao grimaced. "And so, _so_ awkward. Roderich _hates_ me."

"You hadn't realised before, Aniki? That only made it worse," Yong continued, oblivious to Yao's glower. "On the bright side, though, he wasn't telling you to get out like last time."

"I suppose not, aru," Yao wasn't seeing any bright side.

"Hmm, but Elizabeta seemed eager to hold back information," Yong Soo admitted, becoming contemplative. "You'd think she'd want the case over and done with as soon as possible..."

"I understand where she's coming from," Yao said. "It _is_ an important night for the family, aru, and if one of them is convicted of murder, the concert will be ruined. Besides, she was willing to talk tomorrow morning, and for that, I'm grateful."

"Do you think she's the killer, Aniki?" Yong asked.

"I don't know, aru, but I've been jumping to too much conclusions recently," he heaved out a sigh. "It's Mei. She's driving me nuts with her reckless behaviour, aru. She needs to back down a little."

"Yeah?"

"Yep, aru," he glanced in the rear view mirror to see Kiku's family car behind theirs. "But I know she means well."

"What are you going to do about the parking ticket?" Yong Soo asked.

"Wait for it to come and pay it when it does," Yao replied. "I have two weeks to pay it. I'll be fine."

"If Aniki says so," Yong Soo glanced out the window and didn't strike up conversation again.

It was one of those rare moments when Yao reached forwards and turned on the radio.

As promised, they stopped off at the Honda Ramen Bar, quickly followed by Mei, who returned the keys to an extremely bewildered Kiku. For once, Mei was in the back of the car. The smirk that formed on Yong's face was almost enough for Yao to instruct him to give up his seat for her, but there was no time for petty arguments, and he liked to act the adult. They had a concert to get to. He could act like a child another day.

Once Mei was strapped in, he started the Old Civic and bumbled along the road. Entering the main body of the city, they were surrounded by tall buildings on either side. The roads were illuminated by streetlights and flashing signs; red, amber and green traffic lights and the twin beams that shot out from each car. The snow that descended from the sky melted on the window, and the wipers clumsily whisked them away from sight. Bored, Yao battled through the heaps of traffic, eyes glazing over as the Old Civic trundled along.

When they finally reached the theatre, it was lit up along the walls, lights shining brightly in a salute to the sky. Cars filled the parking space, people filing in one by one towards the musical building in their excitement to see the show. Yao couldn't help but notice their formal attire, compared to the casual clothes he and Yong wore – Mei had dressed nicely for her afternoon tea with Elizabeta. The vibrancy of the theatre had returned after its morbid ten day period of mourning for its previous owner. After a struggle to find a parking space, Yao managed to wedge the Old Civic into the disabled parking spot.

He glanced at Yong. "Have you texted your mother about this?"

"Nope," Yong admitted, getting his phone out. "She won't mind. There'll be a lot of important people present, especially in the VIP section Miss Hédeváry is letting us sit in. My mother supports networking, so she might be thankful for once. Also... she loves music. She'll be happy I'm here."

Yao highly doubted just how "thankful" she would be, but was glad Mrs Im would be composed about her son's late outing.

Once inside, he felt his body warm up. The heating of the music theatre was a relief. There was no sight of Roderich or Elizabeta, so he had to assume they were already inside, already prepared for the concert.

"Let's get in quickly before we make fools of ourselves," he hastily pushed past the crowds of the rich couples who had made time in their evening to spend it watching what was to be expected to be one of the most impacting performances of the year. There was something comical about it: those who looked dressed to the millions lacked the VIP attendance that he and Yong Soo, who looked paupers in comparison, had been gifted.

This concert announced the return of the Edelstein family into music, mourned the loss of Niklas Edelstein, yet also acted as the official start of Roderich Edelstein's independent career. The three of them shuffled into the grand audience, where thousands of people had arrived to watch this performance. The orchestra were in place, tuning their instruments beneath the general chatter as people located their seats.

Yao was minding his own business when someone suddenly clasped his hand. Turning his head in alarm, he met Elizabeta's bright green eyes and her wide smile coated in pearly pink gloss.

"Just this way," she said, patting his hand, then guiding him by the arm through the people.

He had to trust the other two were following closely behind. He also had to trust Elizabeta wasn't a murderer.

"He may not appear it, but Roderich will truly be glad for you to have come along," she enthused. "He takes such pride in his music, so it's always a joy when new people are introduced to his circle. Honestly, you should see him once he begins; it's magnificent."

He nodded, just deciding to base his opinion on her words and her words alone. Sitting down beside her, he glanced towards the stage and noticed Roderich meandering amongst the orchestra, speaking with each member, his countenance rigid and tense. He had been acting unfriendly the entire evening. Elizabeta had refused questioning. Something wasn't adding up.

The crowd's chatter diminished once everyone had found their seats and the lighting dimmed, save for the lights above the orchestra. Roderich climbed the stage, stood before the crowd, bowed, a simple presentation, before he sat at the grand piano standing proudly on the stage. There was a pause, his features expressionless, as he gazed at the sheet music on the piano in front of him.

Elizabeta's eyes shone with anticipation, and she leant a little closer to whisper: "He told me he had written a new song for this occasion."

Yao tried not to let the little alarm bells begin to ring in his head, but new sheet music? Convenient timing, considering the father had been composing something, and the sheet music had disappeared… Silence filled the room. And then…

Roderich's fingers began chiming out a melody of solemn grace. Yao was swept into the music, as if it were a powerful river dragging him along until he no longer had control of his own body. It was beautifully played, sounds of melancholy drifting into one. He was captivated. He had heard of the young Edelstein's prodigy, but he had never expected him to have a hold over the entire audience. Glancing to the side, he saw Elizabeta was completely captivated by her fiancé's musical talent. Her eyes were alight with wonder and awe; this was probably the first time she was hearing the song.

But who started it? Roderich? Or Niklas?

When the tune dipped into something fast paced and urgent, Yao could only wonder if that was the point where Roderich had taken over from Niklas. He had jumped to too many conclusions so far; it was difficult to accuse someone of murder, and the tranquil expression Roderich wore once he'd lapsed into his element certainly wasn't the face of a killer.

"Isn't he incredible?" Mei whispered from his other side, and he found himself slowly nodding.

He was awed when the piece ended, when Roderich stood after his show and bowed, silent and accepting the applause almost stoically. He stepped down from the stage, but as he did so, his purple eyes somehow found Yao's from the darkness of the crowd. It was difficult to say whether he actually saw him sitting beside his fiancée, but there was obscurity in his eyes, something that looked both angry and regretful at the same time. Yao couldn't tell what the emotion was, but then their gazes, intentional or not, broke, and Roderich took his stand as conductor. His introduction on the piano had promised a beautiful performance, and that was what the concert turned out to be.

The quality of music was excellent. Each individual in the orchestra acted as a piece of the body, perfectly timed and working together to function properly. This was Roderich Edelstein's entrance into a career that would not be associated with his father. This was his and his alone. He was magnificent, incredible, just as Mei had said. There was no denying it; Yao was witnessing true, passionate talent. But was it Roderich's passionate talent, or Niklas'?

"You must come to the celebratory dinner," Elizabeta pleaded in a quiet voice. "All the VIP guests will be there, and there's so many people I'd love to introduce you to."

"We would love to, but Yong's mother really wanted him to be home at a certain time, aru, and myself and Mei need to be well-rested for work tomorrow," Yao replied, regretting that Yong's need to be home would impact his networking opportunity.

"That's truly a pity," she seemed forlorn. "I'll just have to tell Roderich you couldn't make it. Thank you very much for working on his father's case, Mr Wang. We _really do_ appreciate it. Also, thank you for coming to the concert. Although unplanned, I'm sure Roderich is just as grateful as I am. He would talk to you, but I'll bet Mr Bonnefoy has him locked in conversation."

"Understandable, aru," he nodded. "Thanks for the invitation, but we really must be off."

She nodded and breezed off into the crowd with a quick farewell. Yao turned to his team and saw they both wore glowers on their faces.

"What?" he asked.

"I would have loved to go to that party," Mei complained bitterly. "I heard Mr Bonnefoy is single at the moment; he's rich and would possibly like a girl like me."

"Is personality not important to you?" Yao shook his head. "Come on, both of you, aru. We can't be hanging around a party of potential murder suspects. I like to think we've got a limited number of people who killed Niklas Edelstein, but we just can't know for sure. This could turn out to be anything. The landed are so difficult to deal with, aru."

"You can't just say things like that," Mei rolled her eyes, following him out of the theatre and into night.

The bitter cold crept along his skin. He would've loved to have invested in a good pair of warm gloves and a thick, woollen scarf. Approaching his car, he was relieved to find no one had bothered him or awaited him. It would've put a damp mood on the night to be criticized over his wrongdoings. The three Investigasians piled into the Old Civic and he rumbled the old engine into life. Reversing steadily, Yao managed to avoid any passers-by heading to their own cars, and rolled away from the parking lot.

"What did you think of the performance, aru?" Yao asked casually, drifting into the line of cars that formed the city traffic of the night.

"It was amazing," Mei said. "Roderich really does have some amazing musical skills."

"I played the piano for a while," Yong Soo said.

 _And?_ Yao wondered, traffic lights switching to green and letting a torrent of cars stream past. He had never witnessed Yong play any form of music, although he had _heard_ he played recorder.

"Gilbert will probably be wondering where I am," Mei switched her phone on, waiting for it to load. "I forgot to tell him I was going to the concert."

Yao had forgotten Beilschmidt was camping at Mei's place. It still bothered him a little how willing she was to harbour a stranger in her house. However, if he was being truthful about all he'd said, Gilbert was a wanted man and could possibly end up dead. Yao didn't want to face responsibility for a murder. Mei's house was an unlikely place for the murderer to look if they suspected Gilbert of having returned from Germany.

"It's Friday tomorrow," Yong sighed. "I'm so glad."

"Why, aru?" Yao asked. "School already finished?"

"Yeah, but it's Friday," Yong Soo said. "There's just something nice about completing a week."

"Not really," Yao grimaced. "The longer we take on this case, the worse. We need to get this done before things grow stale, aru. I haven't had a long case like this in a while."

"Have you ever had a long case?" Mei's lip curled in ridicule.

"Of course," he glowered to the side – for Yong Soo had, once again, been usurped. "I've had plenty of long cases, _aru_. However, as I value the privacy of my clients, they're all confidential; I can't disclose any information, even if you are on my team."

She looked sceptical, but said nothing.

"So, Aniki," Yong Soo leant forwards, in between them, asserting his presence within the car. "Mei's working tomorrow; what should _we_ do?"

"We'll be going back to the Edelstein estate, aru," Yao replied. "We need to ask Miss Hédeváry the necessary questions."

"Don't go too hard on her," Mei warned. "I think she handled the pair of you well enough tonight. Try not to seem so accusative like you did with Roderich."

"I know, aru, but we do need all the information we can get," Yao scowled. "Why people are so secretive about their own cases mystifies me… Do they not realise we need to know things to proceed?"

"Secrets aren't easy to just _give away_ ," Mei rolled her eyes. "They're what constructs our private lives."

Yao didn't have a private life; it was always intruded in on by Yong Soo, and if not him, some other wretched being that decided he couldn't have a moment's peace of his own.

Both his sidekicks seemed to live on either side of the city. He chose to drop Yong Soo off first, because of his mother's demands to have him back home as soon as possible. That seemed to bother Yong for reasons Yao couldn't identify, and most of that journey saw Mei religiously texting on her phone.

"Who are you texting, aru?" he asked, once Yong Soo was gone and had been brought inside his house.

"Gilbert, of course," she said.

Yao had never seen or heard about other friends Mei had. She always seemed to be in the café, working, or focused on a case alongside him and Yong Soo. He had never seen or heard her mention other company. Either she lacked it, which would be unusual, considering something about her screamed of "socialite", or she had the magnificent skill of separating her public life from her personal one. If that was so, Yao needed some serious advice from her.

"And you're fine with him living in your house, aru?" he asked.

She sighed and shook her head. "For the last time, Yao: I believe Gilbert's innocent. His story made sense to me. Why does it bother you so much?"

"As a member of the team, I'm responsible if anything happens to you regarding the case," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Besides, I always believed you were so secretive about your house…"

"Secretive?" she sounded quizzical.

Yao knew he was stepping into cautious territory. "Yeah. Like, you used to never let me drive you home until you finally asked me to come round. Now, you're letting me drive you back."

"Is that a problem?" she asked. "Would you rather me take the train tonight?"

"No, it doesn't bother me in the slightest," he pursed his lips together. "But Kiku knew your address."

"Because I told him," her tone became guarded.

As curious as he was, he needed to step away. She hadn't answered his question, but it was evident her house was a touchy subject. He couldn't say why. He lacked the important details. The rest of the journey was spent in quiet. Yao turned on the radio.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you for your patience... and the question remains: who is the killer? I mean, I know what happens... but none of you do, haha! I actually particularly enjoyed writing this chapter. I felt description came easier to me this week... Feel free to leave a review, because I really enjoy seeing what people think of the story/my writing; honestly, feedback is welcome. Also, I love replying to what people have to say; it interests me to have different perspectives on the case, because Yao (me) thinks very differently in some areas to how the readers do! I like mentally comparing! So, please, leave a review/comment if you have one, and until next time!_


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N:** _Hello, hello! I'm back with the next chapter of the Musical Massacre- but first! My week! It's been amazing, because I have a reading week, which means I haven't had any lectures and seminars this entire time! I know, I get work and reading to do, but it's definitely a lot less than the usual busy week! I went home for it, and seeing my family again has been really nice. We've been making and eating so much cake... I'm actually a little caked out, which I never thought I'd say in my entire life! It's been fun, though. Not only that, but my sister came round, too! I haven't seen her in 6 weeks, so it's been nice to catch up and see her face to face._

 _And Halloween has been and gone! Can I just say... mine was awesome? I had a great time, even if it meant I only got four and a half hours of sleep in order to catch my train the next day... But seriously, I had loads of fun, and I was with really nice company the entire time. My Puss In Boots look went very well, too- the make-up turned out to be just on point!_

 _I don't know if this is just a British thing, but a lot of us have probably been celebrating Guy Fawkes night recently. Unfortunately, I missed the fireworks at my university, and chose to have dinner with my family rather than going to the fireworks held at my old school... It was actually a really great night out! We ate Italian style food and it was so rich and so good! I was stuffed at the end- in fact, I overate by miles... Not a good habit... It was a fun night, though, so my week's been very good._

 _Without further ado, the next chapter of Investigasians!_

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

* * *

Yao opened his eyes from a deep sleep. He was lying in bed, and his face, exposed to the air, had chilled overnight. The blankets around him were warm, and he could smell the broth downstairs as Kiku started the breakfast choices for the day. He knew it was Kiku, rather than Mr Honda, because his friend was no longer present in the bed that stood parallel to his on the other side of the room. The covers had been delicately made, and looked pristine, as if no one had slept there. Tiredly, Yao sat up and glanced outside.

His eyes widened to see the heaps of snow tumbling down from the skies above. Awed, he noted the white substance that had left a thick layer on the window sill, and how the windows themselves had frosted over a little. The city lacked the sounds of noisy traffic it usually had, and although Yao knew that wouldn't last once they finished placing salt on the roads, the silence was wonderfully pleasant whilst it lasted.

However, he could foresee a problem arise relatively soon. Peeling the covers away, Yao exposed himself to the freezing temperatures. He dragged himself across the room and wiped a hand across the clouded glass. Snowflakes drifted past and the city, covered in a sheet of white, stood serenely around him. Grey clouds hovered in the sky above, murky and obscured, and there was no sight of the sun. The city seemed to have turned monochrome. Beneath, he could just about make the shapes of the Honda family car and the Old Civic. If he couldn't get his car to work, how was he supposed to reach the Edelstein household?

With a sigh, Yao clambered across his bed, wrapping his sheets around him and curling into their warmth. He grabbed his phone from its charge beside his bed and scrutinized the screen, hoping to see something from either Mei or Yong. There was nothing from either. He tried calling the latter. No response. He was about to give Mei a ring when he recalled her advice, and instead texted her about his plights. It wasn't long before her response came.

' _Are you kidding? I haven't had a break like this in ages! It'll be a while until the salt reaches my street.'_

Yao sighed. It seemed neither of his teammates were being particularly cooperative. Mei's focus seemed to be missing a day of work at the cafe, it seemed... This day would be dedicated to his own searches. Sitting in bed, he gazed around the little room he shared with Kiku. Maybe this case would be the boost for his career, which would in turn let him invest in his own place to stay? Mr Honda would be pleased about that.

Yao whipped the covers off and took a quick morning shower. Once he was warm and relatively comfortable, he wandered into his office and assessed all the notes he'd compiled within the room. He needed to clarify the locations of both Roderich and Elizabeta throughout the night of the murder. However, the missing pen and sheet music also remained questions that needed answering. The type of gun used to break the padlock was also hidden in the clouds of mystery. There were still so many unanswered questions that Yao needed to consider. It would've been handy to have cars available, but it seemed that wasn't an option at this point of time.

He decided to stick within local boundaries. If Roderich or Elizabeta had stayed for some reason or another at the music theatre, then he could speak to them then. Snapping his notebook shut, Yao breathed in deeply before grabbing his coat from the hooks in the hallway. Shrugging on the long piece of clothing, he hurried down the stairs and leant his weight against the door at the bottom, pushing it open into the ramen bar where Kiku calmly worked at a large tub of boiling broth. Customers were low in numbers due to the weather; it was mostly the regulars who lived within walking distance who were present, but some others who had perhaps been stranded in the frozen city had decided hot ramen would be suitable to ready them for the day.

Kiku glanced towards him, a faint smile on his face. "Good morning."

"Morning, aru," Yao said. "I'm just off to the music theatre. You OK on your own here?"

"Naturally," Kiku replied. "My parents are here, anyway. Are you looking for someone at the theatre?"

"Miss Hédeváry, hopefully," Yao admitted. "However, she may have returned home. It's just a gamble, since all my other tasks require me to go out and around."

"I understand," his childhood friend lowered his gaze to the food he was preparing. "Good luck and have a good day."

"You, too, aru," Yao nodded, stepping out into the snow.

He was instantly showered in white flakes, and a cold wind swept straight through him, down to the marrow in his bones. A slight shiver passed across him, but he pressed on, boots crunching in the snow. He ploughed through, for the snow had managed to layer significantly through the night. No cars passed by, and the salting services had yet to pass this area of the city. It was like an eerie ghost town, but the peacefulness was pleasant at the same time. Yao was a city lover. He enjoyed seeing other people in masses surrounding him, where he could blend in and disappear. He wouldn't be the type to inhabit a country manor and see the same people again every day. New faces interested him, another perk to his career as a private investigator.

The music theatre lacked the grandeur it had had in the night. Morning had dimmed its shine; it blended with the buildings surrounding it. The music theatre had become yet another concrete structure where significant events took place. It was difficult to associate it with the murder of Niklas Edelstein, but less than two weeks ago, a man had died there in cold blood. As incredible as Roderich's performance had been last night, the strange idea of a recent death having taken place inside bothered him. Questions flew around his head, but no one could or were willing to answer them.

He traversed across the parking lot that had become a plain, white expanse, disturbed by several sets of footprints, both human and animal. The main lobby was a warm relief once he was inside, and he was surprised to see he was not the only person there.

A young man wearing an expensive looking coat was handing some kind of envelope in to the secretary. His chin-length, ash blonde hair was shaped into fine waves, and he had light stubble growing along his chin. He was dashingly handsome, in a plucked and pristine kind of way. His entire outfit spoke of the rich, and his gloves and scarf looked both stylish and warm. He turned, cornflower blue eyes resting on Yao, who stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Hello," he said politely as he breezed past.

He did not pronounce the 'h'; although his tone was formal. He had an accent, French, presumably. Yao wasn't entirely sure who he was, but he was gone out the door by the time he reached the desk. It didn't matter, anyway. Not every stranger could hold a significant role in his life.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Hi, is there any chance either Mr Edelstein or Miss Hédeváry are present?" he asked.

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm afraid not. They left the music theatre after last night's concert, but as you can see, the snow fell very heavily after that. I can call Mr Edelstein and let him know you dropped by?"

"Yeah, sure," Yao nodded, knowing Roderich was the type of person to get back to people. "My name is Yao Wang. That's Detective Wang."

"Ah," there was understanding in her eyes, but she asked no questions. "I'll call him and let him know you were here."

"Thanks, aru," he pushed away from the desk, briefly admired the cleanness of the lobby, and wondered if Mr Edelstein had hired himself a new set of janitors.

Stepping out in the cold, his phone began to vibrate. Startled, he rummaged into his pockets, and held the device to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked, cursing himself for having forgotten to check to see who was calling.

"Aniki," his heart deflated at the sound of Yong's voice. "Just wanted to know if you were working on the case?"

It was a test, but Yao knew honesty was the best thing to use with Yong. "Yes."

"Without me – and Mei?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"Well, yes; this _is_ my job," Yao complained, cramming his other hand into his pocket. He had forgotten to bring gloves, and the cold threatened to numb his fingers. "Besides, I live close enough to the theatre to be able to visit it whenever."

"Fill me in," Yong Soo said.

"What?" Yao stopped dead in the empty car park and pulled a face. "Why?"

"I'm just curious, Aniki," he begged. "I'm your _sidekick_ ; I've gotta know the deets."

"Well, I've just checked for the client, but he's not here," Yao sighed, relenting to the boy's silly demands. "I think they went back to their home, which means I won't be able to see them until the roads have been properly salted."

"You could Skype chat me!" Yong said excitedly.

Yao couldn't think of anything worse. "First of all, no. Secondly, I am _not_ giving you _any_ more of my personal details. You know enough as it is. I'm not in the mood for giving your mother ammunition to get me arrested. Finally, that's a really weird thing to ask a man who is no longer in education. You're still a high school student. Get some friends."

"I have friends," Yong Soo said indignantly. "I just don't see them much over the holidays. They go abroad."

He should've expected his sidekick would mingle with the rich community, who could afford not one, but probably _three_ abroad holidays across the year.

"Right, aru," he shook his head disbelievingly. "If I happen to miraculously come across either of them, or find something out, I'll-"

" _Excusez-moi_ , I think I might be able to help you," the familiar French lilt rang across the parking lot as someone called out to him.

Yao turned to see the young man from before running towards him.

"Who is that, Aniki?" Yong Soo asked.

"I'll call you back later, aru," he hurriedly said, then disconnected the call, just as the man reached him.

"Ah, _merci_ ," he dropped a cigarette to the ground, crushed it with his shoe, and rummaged through his pocket. "Who are you looking for, may I ask?"

"Roderich Edelstein or his fiancée," he replied, watching the man take out breath spray and utilise it – a smoker who attempted to hide his habits? "I don't mind which one, aru."

"It must've been fate, then, that we crossed paths," the man smiled warmly; the curve on his mouth suited him. "Roderich Edelstein is actually a good friend of mine, so I naturally attended his celebration party last night."

"Oh?" Yao was suddenly interested.

" _Oui_ , but the snow suddenly came on thick, and all us guests got stranded at the venue," the man continued, grimacing slightly. "Including Roderich and Elizabeta. Luckily, the venue is within the city. It's quite a walk, but that's fine when you're with pleasant company..."

Yao had always been a naturally suspicious character. He had never met this man. He could've been anyone.

"What did you say your name was, again?" he asked, keeping his tone jovial and colloquial. "I didn't catch it, aru."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," the man laughed melodramatically. "How rude of me! I completely forgot to introduce myself."

Yao watched carefully as he slipped off a warm glove and extended a hand towards him.

"My name is Francis Bonnefoy," he said pleasantly – and the name rang a bell.

Elizabeta had mentioned this man. He had been at the concert last night for sure. Yao reached out a hand and clasped the smooth palm of the other man. Francis' fingers closed around his hand and squeezed lightly as they shook hands. He was very forward, holding Yao's gaze the entire time in his own cornflower irises. Francis was slow to release his hand, but quick to pull the glove back over his elegant fingers.

"Yao Wang," Yao said.

"Roderich mentioned you," Francis began walking, an easy-going smile on his face. "You're the private investigator, am I correct?"

It was weird to think people had conversations about him without him knowing. Yao nodded.

"That sounds like such an interesting job," Francis purred, then leant a little closer as they walked. "But tell me – have you found whoever did it?"

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to disclose _any_ information on the case, aru," Yao explained. "Client's privacy; I'm sure you understand."

"I have no understanding of _privacy_ whatsoever!" he laughed. "My life is constantly being recorded. I haven't been in the city since Niklas' sixtieth, and I was sorry to leave when Roderich was in such a state."

"You were there, aru?" Yao asked, interested.

"Hmm, yes," Francis' smile thinned. "But before you start accusing me, please don't. I was at the party until it ended at around two – or _three_ even! If it comes as an interest, I was actually with Roderich moments before the party ended."

"He never left the party once?" Yao asked.

"Of course not – he's such a prude," Francis chuckled. "I suppose he was a suspect for quite some time, then? He mentioned you accusing Elizabeta…"

Yao had wished Roderich would keep the case as private as possible until it was over. It seemed, however, that his client had other ideas. Perhaps Francis was just a very close friend, though?

"Not accusing, but just getting an idea of where everyone was at the time of Niklas' death, aru," Yao muttered.

"Touchy subject – I see," Francis held up his hands. "But I personally think it was that janitor, Beilschmidt."

"Right?" Yao wasn't about to be spilling information, no matter how much this man pushed.

"Yeah, he was such a foolish loudmouth," Francis said. "Roderich had nothing to say on him, though, so I do wonder…"

"But you liked Niklas Edelstein?" Yao asked.

Francis lapsed into a trance-like state. "He was like an older Roderich, only _more_ stubborn. I never really had a father figure growing up, so he acted like that to me. No, I wouldn't harm a hair on that man, no matter what you may think."

"I'm not one for jumping to conclusions," Yao answered.

"No?" Francis glanced at him. "No, I suppose you're not. Far too rational for excitement. But that's what'll make you good at solving mysteries, Mr Wang. You could be the next Sherlock Holmes."

"Thank you, aru," he said.

"Is that a verbal tic?" Francis asked, casting him a curious side glance as they crossed an empty road with half-melted snow: the salting had begun.

"Hmm?" Yao frowned.

"The 'aru'," Francis noted. "I couldn't help but notice you said it a lot."

Unsure of how to react to this stranger's analysis, Yao crammed his hands into his pockets and thought hard about how to respond.

"I guess so," he said slowly, ensuring not to say 'aru'.

"I don't see many people with them," Francis said. "I quite like them; they're oddly fashionable."

"Ah, well, I don't hear many people from France around here, aru," Yao said, hoping to change the subject.

"Really?" Francis looked surprised. "I don't live in the city, so I wouldn't know."

"But you _are_ French?" he asked.

" _Oui_ , I come from the land of love," Francis smiled warmly. "Have you ever been to France, Yao?"

"I can't say I have," he shook his head.

"Well, you _must_ visit Paris," Francis said, then paused, suddenly thoughtful. "You know, I have a house there. I ought to bring you along one summer, and show you around- it's truly a beautiful city."

Yao couldn't believe what he was hearing. He barely knew this man, and was already being invited to spend the summer in his _other_ house. Yao didn't even have _one_ house.

"I think that's what we shall do," Francis cast him a side glance. "It's one thing to talk about France, but actually _seeing_ it is a whole matter entirely. I hear so many people tell me they've been to Paris, and whenever I ask about the Eiffel Tower, they tell me they go to Disneyland. So disappointing."

"I can imagine," Yao had never been to Disneyland before. "I've _heard_ the south of France is very nice."

"I have a summer house there," Francis beamed. "Maybe I should just take you for a tour around _France_ , never mind Paris! You must learn the language, Yao. You can impress so many people if you know a lot of languages."

"I know English and Mandarin," he replied. "A significant amount of Japanese, too."

"Yes, well, you may be ahead of the game, but if you can learn more than three – and more than what your parents have probably taught you – then people will really respect you," Francis smiled. "I had to learn English before I came here, and it was really difficult; much harder than learning other European languages as a French speaker."

"OK, aru," Yao said, sheepish that he was limited to the languages his family had learnt, as well as what Kiku had taught him over the years.

"Do you dance as well?" Francis asked. "Drink? Socialise? I want to know the man Roderich has hired to find out who killed his father..."

"Sorry?" Yao paused, alarmed by the sudden swing of conversation.

"You heard me," Francis frowned. "Niklas Edelstein was a father to me as well. I want to find out who killed him just as much as Roderich does, if not, more. Forgive me, but I needed to find out more about your character, and make the judgement whether you were capable of not."

"What?" Yao blinked.

"If it comes as any consolation," Francis smiled lightly and awkwardly. "Then I think you can do this."

"Uh…" Yao struggled for words. "How long until we reach the venue, aru?"

"We passed it a long time ago," Francis replied nonchalantly. "Our conversation was just so delightful and I had yet to make a conclusion about you at the time. Again, I'm deeply sorry if I've made you uncomfortable."

"Not at all," Yao said uncomfortably.

Francis laughed. "Then, come along, _mon ami_ ; Roderich and Elizabeta will probably be more than willing to speak with you."

* * *

 **A/N:** _A new character!? 20 chapters in and we've met a **new character**? I like surprises, you see... Speaking of which, 20 chapters in and Yao still hasn't found the murderer! He needs to get a move on. Also, 20 chapters... and **2,000** people who have viewed _ Investigasians: The Musical Massacre _! That's absolutely amazing that so many people have taken the time to look at this Fic! Thank you very much for all of your support, and if you want to leave a review... please do! I love reading and replying so much! It's so good to hear what people think of what I've written! Also, if there are any French speakers out there, feel free to correct me if I've gotten anything wrong. I try, and tend to fail quite a lot... but I try! Either way, it's not hard to edit chapters, so if there are any linguistic mistakes, please say so! Feedback makes the best story._

 _Thank you everyone- all 2,000 of you!- and until next time!_


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N:** _Good morning, everybody! Where I am it's currently 8:55... and raining. November weather has really just struck all of a sudden! October was a mix between warm and just a bit chilly, but suddenly, in November, it's freezing and always raining! I suppose that's what I should expect from this time of year, though..._

 _My wig arrived! It's actually very soft, which I didn't expect, and I have a wig cap to go with it. Also, I have my green contact lenses sorted... it's just the dress that I'm waiting for, which really blows, and I'm not even sure it'll arrive... Ah, well- what happens, will happen._

 _Without further ado, the next chapter of **The Musical Massacre**!_

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

* * *

The venue was a hotel Yao had passed many days in his life. It was an expensive place, somewhere only the rich had access to. It only made sense that Roderich Edelstein would rent this place out for the finishing celebration party for his first concert.

The entrance was that of a palace. White marble floors reflected the thousands of individual lights that created the chandelier above their heads. Interwoven into the pale stone floors was a swirl of black, a chic pattern that held elements of a modern style. There was no rug, so that those who entered could hear the pricey tap of their shoes on marble. Three people sat at the desk, all dressed in pristine waistcoats; most of the staff wore well-known brands of watches and jewellery that Yao could only dream of owning. His worth was miniscule in comparison to the vast amounts of wealth that had been funded into the making of this hotel, staff included.

"Mr Bonnefoy," a man hurried up to them. "Please; allow me to take your coat."

Francis smiled and shrugged the warm attire away from his shoulders, handing it to the man. "Thank you."

"And…" the man glanced at Yao, suddenly lost.

"Yao Wang," he said politely, but also firmly.

"Would you like me to take your coat?" the man asked, suddenly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it, aru," he was fine wearing his coat; wherever he went, the coat followed.

"Are you cold, Sir?" the man insisted. "Would you like me to speak with the maintenance staff and raise the heating a little?"

"No, I'm honestly fine, aru," Yao nodded.

"Perhaps you would like-"

"We're fine," Francis placed a hand on Yao's shoulder and guided him along.

Flustered, Yao allowed himself to be pushed towards the lift, where Francis pressed the next button upwards – the first floor.

"You evidently haven't had that before," Francis noted.

"In case you hadn't noticed, money isn't streaming out of my pockets, aru," Yao puffed out his cheeks – money was a sensitive topic.

"I wasn't making a statement; nothing like that," Francis held up his hand. "I'm terribly sorry if I've offended you."

"Uh, well... not at all... aru...," Yao was relieved when the elevator released them from the confined space. Francis wore strong cologne, and the undertones of cigarette smoke lingered.

Francis led the way, striding down the hallway. He had elegant legs, thin yet lean. His entire countenance was so much more sophisticated in comparison to Yao. Both he and Roderich had a certain fluidity to them, which made Yao wonder if all the super-rich had some kind of conduct code to act graceful. However, his mind turned to Giuliano, who was more charming rather than smooth. Perhaps Roderich and Francis were merely of a new generation of rich, and their modernisation of the lifestyle was to act like poetic romantics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? Yao wasn't sure, but that was how they came across to him.

"A lot of people will be having breakfast at this time," Francis said, pausing before a door, and Yao checked his watch, amazed at how late the rich awoke. "I want to warn you now; you'll be meeting a lot of very important people here."

"What's that meant to mean, aru?" Yao asked, wondering why Francis had adopted a mentoring role.

"That you _network_ ," Francis smiled. "You might here about crimes that occur in the gutter areas of cities, but some of the most meticulous murders happen amongst the landed classes – we get vicious when things go wrong for us."

Before he was able to reply, Francis swung open the door to reveal a dining room of great splendour. There were countless numbers of buffet tables, but waiters also hurried around, serving freshly cooked food. He could see pancakes and waffles getting made on the spot, pastries, salads, simple toast with condiments, bread rolls, sausages sizzling, eggs spitting and crackling as they fried, tomatoes giving off a rich aroma as they sat in the pans. The venue had considered those who preferred breakfasts familiar to their own customs; hams and cheese were laid out for those who wanted a lighter meal, compared to fat dumplings that made Yao's mouth water. Beans had been prepared to accompany the traditional English Breakfast, and he could see mushrooms frying away in their preparation.

Not to mention the drinks! Milk was provided, as were hot beverages – he could see a range of teas and coffees waiting to be consumed. Juices and smoothies awaited the masses, and he was fairly sure he could see trays of micheladas and strabellinis.

"Help yourself to something whilst you're here," Francis' fingers danced along his shoulder in parting. "I like an early breakfast, so I've already eaten, but do enjoy the food; dining with others is a perfect opportunity to get to know other people. I'll find Roderich."

He flitted away, disappearing past a couple of waiters. Yao stood, amazed that he was amongst this community. His mother had always held ideals of standing with people like these, but never would she have been able to guess her son would instantly be able to mingle through his humble career as a private investigator. Attracted like a moth to the light, he found himself hovering amongst the buffet carts. His hands located a tray and plate, and one food led to another – and another – and… another. Yao had never seen so much food in his entire life. The incredible amounts these people ate made him want to achieve his goal of wealth and stand amongst them as an equal, rather than a mere associate.

A tap on his shoulder brought him round to see none other than Mayor Jones himself. It had been months since he'd last spoken to him.

"Yao Wang?" he grinned. "It's really you. You know, I saw the back of your head, and I was thinking – damn, that guy looks familiar – but I never expected it to actually be you!"

"It's me, aru," he nodded.

"Hey, hey, whilst we're here, I need to ask," Mayor Jones placed a hand on his shoulder and looked around the dining hall. "How's the… you know… _search_ going?"

Yao frowned and thought back to two weeks , when he'd been roof jumping. He had never reported back.

"Cold at the moment, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking," he said, staring straight ahead.

"Shame," the mayor sighed, leaning away, coffee in hand. "But, you know, Yao, you ever find something, report back to me. I like to be in the know about these kinds of things."

"Of course, aru," Yao nodded.

"Great," he lifted the coffee. "I'll see ya. Raging night last night, but I gotta be back at the office soon."

Yao watched him go, before turning his attention to the pancakes he'd also wanted to amass alongside the rest of his food. He heaved the tray up, and approached the drinks table when a waitress hurried to his side.

"Allow me," she said, taking the tray from his hands.

To his amazement, the waitress remained by his side, carrying the tray for him. He rather liked this positive treatment. With a smile, he got himself a green tea and looked around the dining hall for Francis. There was no sight of him, but that mattered very little, because Elizabeta happened upon the coffee machine, and saw him along the way.

"Yao!" she beamed. "What are you doing here? It's a shame you couldn't be at the party last night. I was telling _everyone_ about how hard you've been working."

"Everyone?" he worried about the Mayor and whatever he may have heard.

"Well, of course," she said. "You've been of excellent help to myself and Roderich. And to think we'd never heard of you before! It was actually Mayor Jones who mentioned you."

Yao felt his heart sink. For a moment, he thought they had found him by chance. It seemed everyone blabbed about their cases nowadays.

"He was the one who suggested you when we discovered about Niklas," she admitted. "I don't know how the pair of you met, but it seems Alfred was right about you, Detective Wang; you work very hard compared to some other people on this planet, that's for sure."

He swallowed, noting how the waitress was hovering nearby, still carrying his heavy tray.

"I do digress, though," she smiled, green eyes bright. "What brought you here?"

"More like 'who'," he laughed nervously. "Francis took me here, aru. Coincidentally, I actually wanted to speak to you about the night of Niklas' death."

Elizabeta paused, her smile faltering a little, but she nodded and leant against the nearest table. "Yes… You did want to say something last night, didn't you?"

Yao nodded and set his green tea aside. "I want to know the locations of both you and your fiancé the night Niklas died."

"At his sixtieth birthday party," she replied. "We both stayed until the very end."

"Neither of you left in between?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Is that it?"

Yao frowned. "I guess so, aru. Are you _sure_ you never left the party? That Roderich was there the entire time?"

"I understand what you mean," she sighed. "I also understand that's it's very frustrating when no one can give a direct answer. However, listen to me when I say that I never left the building until the party ended, and Roderich was there until the end."

"OK, but one more thing," he said, noting she was eager to get away. "Does Roderich usually polish the gun you keep framed in the living room?"

Elizabeta paused, eyes searching the ground. "I…"

Yao waited patiently.

She straightened up and looked him in the eye. "I'm sure he does, otherwise it would get filthy. Besides, that gun has family history."

"I thought you said it wouldn't get dusty if it was in the case," Yao lifted his beverage and sipped his tea. "I don't really know much about ornamental preservation, but I can see where you were coming from, aru."

"I'm sure a case doesn't keep everything off," she swallowed, averting her gaze. "I don't know, Detective Wang… Roderich has been so upset over his father's death that he hasn't been _quite_ the same. That was why I was so glad he got back into the music. He absolutely _adores_ the piano, so when he stopped after his father's death, I thought that was the end."

"I apologise if I've upset you, aru," Yao dipped his head. "You've been very helpful, thank you."

Elizabeta's jaw, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed and her gaze softened. "I'm glad you understand how stressful it's been. How about you sit with us? I guess you could ask Roderich any questions."

"I think I'm done with the detective work right now," he nodded, grateful, and followed in the direction she pointed him towards.

A sea of faces laughed and chattered at the tables. Yao was still impressed that he was in the same room as the elites. He could see, in the distance, Roderich's head of dark hair and Francis sitting across from him. The Frenchman's cornflower blue eyes lit up and he waved towards him. Yao walked over, seeing Roderich turn in the seat. He showed no emotion – neither negative or positive – which Yao strongly believed was a good sign. He seated himself beside Francis.

"Hello, Detective Wang," Roderich said politely.

"Good to see you again," Yao said, picking up his knife and fork as the waitress finally relieved herself of the heavy food tray. "The concert last night was good, by the way, aru."

Yao proceeded to tuck into his meal. He had seen a flash of relief in Roderich's eyes, the other clearly thankful that questioning wasn't on Yao's mind. He had received the information he'd wanted from Elizabeta. For now, he could be content with what the couple had provided him.

Yao walked himself home. Although Francis offered, he lied about making several detours around the city that would make company pointless. Once he'd been alone, Yao had been able to recollect his thoughts. With purpose, his feet had carried him straight back to the Honda Ramen Bar. It was his friend's advice that he desperately needed in this current state.

It was the lunch hour, yet the snow meant business was moderately low, even at this time. Kiku seemed relatively at ease, so Yao swung into one of the bar stools with a frown.

"I'll have my usual, aru," he beamed.

"Of course," Kiku set about to preparing his usual ramen. "How was your trip to the music theatre?"

"I actually met a guy there who knew them and was at some party with them last night," Yao said. "He knew they were at some venue and I was able to speak with Elizabeta – she told me enough, aru."

"Any questions?" Kiku asked.

"Roderich was at the party at the end," Yao rubbed his chin. "Francis – the guy I met – could support that. However, that doesn't mean he couldn't have followed his father to the music theatre and disposed of him then."

"Where was Niklas' final birthday held?" Kiku asked.

"You know, I'm not sure," Yao frowned.

"You should look into that and if you hear a timing that doesn't quite match, then you can pick someone up on that," Kiku said. "You can also use it to measure whether Roderich could've driven to the music theatre, then back in time to hang out with this Francis for the last moments of the party. Assume they're in conversation for around half an hour."

Yao nodded. "Well, there's also this gun at Edelstein's house."

"What kind of gun?" Kiku asked.

"Some kind of pistol," Yao said. "I haven't had time to look at it closely, aru. However, Roderich said he polished it the other day, and Elizabeta was unsure about that; they had some contrasting information."

"Does he even have bullets for the gun?" Kiku glanced at him. "If he's polishing it, it's either in use or ornamental."

"He said it was a decoration, a family thing, and it was framed," Yao theorised. "I'm not sure."

"I understand," Kiku boiled the noodles. "I can see why that's suspicious… And what about Francis? How is he linked to the clients?"

"He's a friend of Roderich's," Yao pondered. "So, I guess he isn't so reliable when it comes to vouching for Roderich… However, he did see Niklas as a father."

"Does that not add ammunition for Roderich?" Kiku asked casually.

"Ammunition?" Yao frowned.

"A jealous son?" Kiku glanced at him. "If he wanted his father to notice him for his music, only to find his parental affections went elsewhere, would he be driven to committing murder?"

Yao froze on his seat and stared into space.

"Does Francis have any relations?" Kiku asked. "Perhaps you could get a third person perspective on Francis' life…"

"OK…" Yao said. "The plot thickens, aru. I'll look into those. Hopefully the snow may clear a little more. I feel a little handicapped when I'm restricted to only the city."

"This is your opportunity to get to know Francis more," Kiku said. "I assume you don't know his personal address. Maybe find things out about him?"

Yao nodded again, as Kiku placed a ramen bowl before him. Slurping in the noodles, he contemplated what his friend meant. Seek out those connected with Francis? This was some proper personal work, things Mei tended to be better at, but Yao was prepared to do as much as he could despite the weather. However, he didn't want to appear strange. If he could discover the venue of Niklas Edelstein's final birthday, he would be able to roughly calculate the distance between it and the music theatre. Francis would have to wait for now.

He did not need Roderich to find the venue. That would be simple enough. He could speak with the receptionist in the music theatre, who was just as likely to know where Niklas' sixtieth birthday had taken place. Slurping down the last of his ramen, he paid and swung away from his chair. He absolutely stuffed to capacity, having non-stop ate all day.

"Good luck," Kiku called after him.

"Thanks, aru," he said, halfway out the door.

Stepping back into the cold, he trudged through the snow towards the music theatre. He felt like he was going backwards and forwards relatively frequently today, but with his restricted location, there was very little he could do about that. He picked his way past the city, and noted that more roads had been salted as the day progressed. He guessed cars would be back on the roads by tomorrow. He reached the theatre and approached the doors, pushing them open and leaving a trail of snow as he walked inside.

The receptionist raised her head and noticed him once more. "Mr Edelstein hasn't passed through here, I'm afraid."

"I saw Mr Edelstein, aru," Yao said. "So, don't worry about contacting him. I'd actually like to ask you a quick question."

She looked momentarily worried, but set down her pen and nodded, looking at him attentively.

"Where was Niklas Edelstein's sixtieth birthday held?" he asked.

Relief passed over her face. "That would be the nearest Hokuo Hall. It's really very impressive…"

"How far away from here would you say this 'Hokuo Hall' is, aru?" Yao asked.

"Not far," she shook her head. "About half an hour – maybe a little more if there was traffic."

"Thanks," Yao nodded, branching away.

As soon as he was out of the building, he called Lei.

"Hey?" the young man sounded as indolent as ever.

"I need you to review the footage, aru," Yao said.

"I don't have it, _you_ do, at Kiku's house," Lei snapped. "I downloaded everything onto the main computer, _remember_? Geez, it's under a folder literally named footage in a folder named Niklas Edelstein."

"Thanks, aru," he replied.

"Thanks for waking me up, ass," Lei hung up abruptly.

"Good morning to you, too," Yao muttered, as he headed back home.

Kiku seemed surprised to see him as he reappeared. "Did it go well?"

"Yeah, I think someone could've slipped away from the party in the middle, and have been back at the end without anyway knowing," Yao nodded. "Niklas was killed at one-thirty – after all the preparation and second murder, they could've been back at the venue by two-thirty."

"Does this secure your leads?" Kiku asked.

"I don't know," Yao moved to the back door. "I need to review the footage again…"

* * *

 **A/N:** _But what will Yao find!? Until next time, and thank you for all of your support! Feel free to leave a review; I love replying and seeing what people think of what I've written! Bye bye!_


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N:** _Hello, everyone! So, I may have made this rather vocal over the past couple of weeks or so, but I actually attended a Comiccon near to me, and dressed as Nyotalia England! It was a seriously fabulous, and I had such an amazing time! It was my first time cosplaying, too, and lots of people liked my outfit, so I'd say it was an overall success! I hope to go to more in the future, and may one day try to cosplay as Japan, as he's always been an aspirational cosplay of mine!_

 _Without further ado, though, the next chapter of Investigasians!_

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

* * *

Yao seated himself at the computer and logged on. It was usually Lei hunched over the blue screen, but today, it would have to be him. He was heavily low on staff, and that was a significant disadvantage. However, he had started his career without help, and he was more than willing to revert back to the original methods. His fingers breezed over the keys and accessed the computer and its secrets. As Lei had instructed, he opened the corrected folders and found the footage of the music theatre.

Scrolling through, he located the direct moment when the janitor was spotted walking down the corridor. He paused and fetched Kasam from his usual desk, as he wasn't doing his shift in the spa that day.

"What do you think?" he gestured to the screen.

"The janitor?" Kasam blinked.

"What if I told you we discovered that that isn't the janitor, aru?" Yao watched his expression.

Kasam's brows furrowed together. "I would be disinclined to believe you. Who is it?"

"The murderer," Yao shrugged. "We don't know, aru. Male or female, would you say?"

"Could be either," Kasam guessed. "Definitely not a _large_ male; probably between a height of five three and five seven."

"That's what we all thought, aru," Yao drummed his fingers on the table.

"I'd say that's either a man or a woman," Kasam confirmed. "What about the way they walk?"

"The way they walk?" Yao played the video and watched them stride purposefully down the corridor.

"Hmm… I was going to say if they had any particularly masculine or effeminate qualities about the way they moved," Kasam looked disappointed. "But it could _still_ be either. Who do you have in mind?"

"I'm hoping not, but things are seriously pointing towards Roderich's fiancée," he said, and watched Kasam's eyes widen. "I know; but she honestly doesn't have a clear alibi for Niklas' party, and she's been acting awfully suspicious recently, aru."

"Do you think she did it?" Kasam asked. "Does she seem like the kind of person capable of murder?"

"Anyone's capable of murder," Yao shrugged. "But I know what you mean, aru. She's a rather independent woman, headstrong, and she's definitely less affected by the death compared to Roderich. When I first met them, she did a lot of the explaining – he was wrought with emotion and joined in only when the case had been explained, or in short bursts during."

"I see," Kasam leant back in his chair. "It was a rather violent murder, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Yao frowned as he considered that. "Hit over the back of the head; I'm not one for stereotypes, but that would take a considerable amount of strength to have immobilised him as it did. It _was_ asphyxiation that killed him, though, aru."

"True," Kasam pondered. "I would say look more into Miss Hédeváry before you start making accusations."

"You reckon that figure can't be taller than me?" Yao glanced at the screen.

"Definitely not," Kasam said. " _Maybe_ five eight, and if we were really going to broaden our suspects and push it, five nine, but that last one is very unlikely."

"I ought to start asking some heights, then, aru," Yao pondered.

Kasam nodded. "By the way, Mei called."

"What did she say?" he asked.

"That she wanted you to pick her up tomorrow morning," Kasam shrugged. "I think it'll be an early start for you."

"Oh, great, aru," Yao sighed. "What time does she start work?"

"She needs to be there for eight in the morning," Kasam replied. "But she said she usually arrives earlier, at around seven thirty."

"That would mean I'd need to be at her house for _six thirty_ ," Yao complained. "Tell her 'no'. I am not her chauffeur."

"I'll suggest some good taxi services for her, then," Kasam headed for the doorway with a frown.

Some kind of string connecting to the important organ known as Yao's heart was struck and twanged. Guilt wracked his conscience, pulling him to a stop as he was about to flee the scene. Taxis were expensive and costed even more when going to the city.

"Tell her I'll be there," he heaved out a sigh, eyes trained on the glowing screen.

He heard Kasam come to stop. Glancing round, he saw the other young man was smiling warmly at him.

"What, aru?" he muttered.

"Is this morality I see developing in you, Yao?" Kasam chuckled.

"No," Yao pursed his lips. "It's acknowledging that not giving her a lift to work will only bring more consequences not doing it."

"Right," Kasam wandered out, talking over his shoulder. "I'll let her know you'll be there."

Yao waited a few moments, then lowered his head in his hands. How did he always let Mei rope him into things he didn't want to do? Next thing he knew, Mrs Im would be using him as a car service to get Yong to school in the morning. Although, she hated him too much to want him near her son, so maybe not…

* * *

It was an early start for Yao. He played it safe, waking at five and giving himself a full hour to get ready before he had to be out of the house. Kiku had been surprised to find his friend awake at the same time, but Yao had left with a brief explanation he was picking Mei up.

The early morning weather was even bitterer and colder than Yao could've wanted. The roads had been salted, which meant he was bound to his promise to pick Mei up. Climbing into the Old Civic, he fit the key in and turned it. The car sputtered and struggled, coughing and wheezing against the cold. With a little more force, he jerked the key from side to side until the vehicle groaned and pulled itself together, rumbling into life and humming as the engine was brutally reminded how to function. He pressed his foot on the accelerator and turned out of the small parking lot, and onto the roads.

Driving had become a daily part of Yao's life. He had become accustomed to sitting in a car for a lengthy amount of time, and it had begun to take its toll on him. His eyelids grew heavy and he was weary of driving around all the time. Long journeys didn't matter anymore; he was doing trips like this almost every day. It had been a little bit of a relief to be able to walk around on his own two feet yesterday, even if he'd been restricted to only searching the city.

He pulled up in Mei's drive, before her comfortable cottage. Pulling his trusty trench coat closer to his body, he shuffled up to the door and knocked, tiredly. There was a moment's silence. The curtains were closed. Had she forgotten? He knocked again.

The door flew open to reveal Gilbert – he cursed himself for having not recalled the German was currently living with Mei. He was wearing a clean pressed shirt and trousers, his hair was freshly washed and he had a healthy glow about him. Something told Yao Gilbert had greatly benefitted from his short time living with Mei. Yao forced a smile; he still wasn't perfectly pleased that Mei had allowed a stranger to share her house.

"Oh, _hallo_ Detective Wang," Gilbert threw the door open wide for him to enter. "Mei's just finishing off breakfast; she's just in the kitchen."

Yao noted he was holding a duster in one hand. The house looked cleaner every time he came by. Stepping inside, he nodded and walked past Gilbert, veering to the side into Mei's little kitchen where her dining table was also crammed. She turned in her seat, a mouthful of scrambled eggs, beans and toast in her mouth. He furiously noted she wasn't in work uniform, instead in a sweater and pyjama shorts.

"You're not even ready," he folded his arms.

"I didn't expect you to come for the early time," she admitted. "But I also had a late start. The short break made me a little lazy…"

"Right, aru," he scowled.

"Don't be too mad," she turned back to her breakfast. "An active mind early in the day is actually supposed to be healthy for you. Think of it like this: I do this every day."

"That doesn't make it any better," Yao leant in the doorway.

"Sit down," she gestured. "I can just feel you watching me eat from behind and it's not normal."

"Right, aru," he threw himself down into a seat opposite her and noted how tasty her breakfast looked.

"Gilbert made breakfast this morning," she gushed as she ate. "Not only that, but he's cleaning the house while I'm gone and offered to do the ironing. He didn't even ask for payment."

"I think living at your house is payment in itself, aru," Yao muttered.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "Free service, and he's really good at it. Once he gets focused, he really does the job right. He told me he learnt to make breakfast for him and his brother when they were growing up; so he made it for me before I go to work."

"Hurry up," Yao checked the time. "I have a case to be working on, aru."

"There's no need to be moody," she sipped a coffee she had beside her; probably something else Gilbert had provided. "I'll only be a moment."

A moment turned out to be a full half hour. Yao was tempted to leave her behind, but she hurried down the stairs just in time, all ready for work. She rushed to the door and threw it open.

"I'll see you later, Gil," she called over her shoulder to Beilschmidt, who lingered in the hallway.

"See ya," he waved, and Yao shut the door behind them.

"Enough goodbyes, aru," he scowled. "I thought you needed to get to work?"

"You're so grouchy in the mornings," she pursed her lips together. "I think I'll get Kiku to give me a lift tomorrow."

"Don't bother Kiku," Yao sighed. "He has work."

He opened his car door and sat before the wheel, igniting the engine once again. Mei took her eat beside him and strapped herself in as he pulled away from her house.

"You know," she said. "There really is _no need_ to worry about Gil; he's innocent, for sure."

"I'm not worried about him anymore, aru," Yao kept his eyes on the road.

"Then why do you still act so unfriendly to him?" she asked. "You know… he asked me the other day if he'd done something to upset you. You're really giving off the wrong messages for someone who's indifferent."

"I never said I was indifferent," Yao added.

"Then, what's your problem?" she demanded. "He physically can't go outside for fear of being taken down or followed or traced."

Yao didn't reply, because he knew she was right. Gilbert was hiding in Mei's house, not just living there.

"But maybe that's your issue," she continued.

"What's that meant to mean?" it was difficult to solely focus on the road when she was pressing him this hard for an answer.

"You don't want someone to trace Gilbert back to _my_ house."

He opened his mouth to protest.

"Wait," she said, and he paused. "I recall you saying that, if anything happened to Yong, then you'd be taken responsible, which is perfectly accurate. However, you feel the same about me."

"What?" he usually didn't associate Mei and Yong in the same category.

"Listen," she stressed. "If something happened to me because of Gil, you'd feel responsible, because it links back to my involvement into the case. You would feel obliged to tell my parents that I was dead. That's why you're so bothered by Gil living at my house."

She was completely wrong. Yao hadn't even considered the possibility of having to tell Mei's parents about her death if something truly did happen to her. This new revelation only made him dislike Gilbert more.

"I don't _want_ to dislike him," he said carefully.

"You _dislike_ him?" he felt her turn in her seat to look at him. "I didn't think you actually _disliked_ him."

"Well, OK, 'dislike' is probably a bit harsh," Yao shrugged. "Perhaps I _regret_ that circumstance has placed you into the position of having a fugitive living with you."

He had no idea where his arguments were going. Perhaps it was better for Mei to draw up her own conclusions?

"I don't get you," she said instead. "I took Gil into my house knowing _full well_ the possible dangers. You need to accept that I'm comfortable with having that burden. Gil and his brother would be in danger otherwise."

"No, I get that, aru."

"I don't think you do," she reached out to the radio and turned it on. "I'm not even sure you've been listening to anything I've been saying."

Yao bristled. "I have actually. How else would I have been responding, aru?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I just don't think my words have reached you in the slightest. I think I've made things worse."

"Maybe you have," he scowled.

She didn't answer him and the rest of the journey was spent in awkward silence. The radio was on quiet, but at least it separated them from one another. It was the perfect excuse for Yao not to say anything, and he could only guess Mei also used the radio to prevent further conversation. There were still few cars on the road, so the journey was relatively undisturbed. The silence outside only emphasised the low volumes inside the car.

They still arrived before the café where Mei worked before eight. Her hand found the handle.

"How tall are you?" he asked, his next mission playing on his mind.

"What?" she blinked, and he repeated his question. "Well, I heard you… Why do you want to know?"

"Is it a touchy subject?" Yao frowned. "Is it OK to ask a woman her height?"

"No, it's fine," she shrugged. "Four eleven. But why?"

"Would you say you're taller than Elizabeta?" he ignored her desperate questioning.

"Of course not," she scoffed. "Look, I've got to go – I'll see you later."

He nodded as she slipped out of the car, only to backtrack and rummage through her pocket.

"I almost forgot," she pulled out a few notes and held them out to him. "Petrol money. Because I respect that petrol costs and that you went out of your way to come get me."

Yao opened his mouth, but found her strange kindness baffling.

"Take it," she urged. "I have to get to work."

"Thanks, aru," he took the notes – sixty quid in total – and crammed them into his coat pocket.

She closed the door and hurried into her workplace. Yao drove back to the Honda Ramen Bar, considering height. He himself was roughly five seven. If Kasam was right, the culprit was the same height as him, or shorter. He parked beside the Honda family car and wandered into the bar where Kiku was diligently working. He was surprised by the faces that awaited to greet him. There was Yong Soo, who sat up straight as soon as he entered the bar, and Francis Bonnefoy, who flashed him a pleasant smile.

"Hello, Yao," Kiku smiled. "It seems you're going to be quite busy today."

"Oh?" he glanced at the two others.

"I'm going around town with Roderich and Elizabeta today," Francis beamed. "And was offering if you wanted to come along? It's just a friendly outing; nothing harmful about it in the slightest."

Yao noticed Yong's disappointment. "Oh, I thought we'd be working on the case today, Aniki."

Francis glanced at him. "If you really want to come along, you can, but we'll be having adult conversation a lot of the time. It might be a little boring."

"Anywhere Aniki goes will be interesting," Yong Soo boldly claimed, despite having just invited himself to someone else's outing.

Yao could've died of embarrassment.

"First things first," Yao approached the bar and looked into Kiku's eyes. "How tall are you?"

"Me?" his friend pointed to himself, and averted his gaze. "Not very…"

"An exact estimate, maybe?" Yao pushed.

"A bit shorter than you," Kiku fidgeted.

"Probably five feet five," Yong said.

"What? How would you know?" Kiku flushed, alarm in his eyes.

"You're a little shorter than my mum," Yong Soo admitted, adding further humiliation for Kiku.

"There's nothing wrong with being vertically challenged," Francis smiled brilliantly at Kiku. "As a matter of fact, being small and slight is very fashionable nowadays."

There was doubt on Kiku's face, but he nodded nevertheless.

"But why do you ask, Yao?"

"I was just wondering," he told him. "I'm collecting figures I might find important, aru."

He was hesitant to explain his collecting data in front of Francis. Although he wasn't directly attached to the whole murder, he was still a friend of Roderich's, and could report just about anything to Yao. Yong Soo had guessed the person on the film could've been around five feet three, which had been concluded to have potentially been Elizabeta.

"I just need to leave a quick note," he hurried to the back door. "We're not in a rush are we?"

"Not at all," Francis checked his watch. "I told them I'd meet them at the city centre in around ten minutes."

"I'll be right with you, aru," he dashed upstairs, and hurried to the small table Kasam and the other Investigasians proudly called their 'desk'. "Kasam."

The other young man raised his head and smiled. "Hmm?"

"Could you ring or text Lei to give me a call when he wakes up?" Yao asked. "Tell him to contact my mobile, and I should be able answer him almost immediately."

"Oh," Kasam seemed flustered by the flurry of instructions. "Where are you going?"

"Out with Yong and a friend," Yao explained. "I'll be all day. Tell him to call me, aru."

"I'll do that," Kasam noted that down. "Have a good day?"

"Thanks, aru," he turned and hurried back downstairs, where the others were waiting. "I'm ready."

"Excellent," Francis rubbed his hands together as he stood. "I think Elizabeta has quite a few activities planned, so be prepared for a day packed with things to do."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you for your patience waiting for this chapter to come out! I feel like it may have a few spelling mistakes, as we are nearing midnight at this stage... I've tried checking through, but there's very little to be done when I'm half asleep. I hope it's just coherent enough to understand! Until next time!_


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N:** _Hello, everybody, how has- wait, what's this? XOs is posting a day early, rather than a week late? Yes, I'm actually not being a scumbag writer for once! The main reason is because I'm visiting my sister this weekend, and I honestly don't think I'd have time to post over the weekend, which would mean the next chapter wouldn't be released until Monday night. So, instead, it made much more sense to get a chapter out a little earlier! I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. It's getting to the stage in the story where the plot begins to excite me too much, and I might get carried away. I need to keep telling myself to reign it in and stay focused, otherwise I could be dropping too many or too little hints!_

 _Actually, now that I think about it, the last chapter was posted Monday, so you've all had quite the busy week from me, haven't you?_

 _Oh, I did something interesting today (for once)! I study Ancient History, and one of our modules is 'The Roman Empire in the Barbarian World', where we study the period from roughly AD 400-AD 800, looking into the split of the Roman Empire into the Western Empire and the Byzantine Empire, but also into the Germanic tribes such as the Goths and the Vandals, but also the Frankish Kingdoms and the Gauls. All very interesting. The thing I wanted to say, though, was that today I touched a coin dating back to around AD 570, created for the Byzantine Emperor Justin II's reign! That's a coin that's nearly 1,500 years old!_

 _That's it for me. Without further ado, the next chapter of Investigasians!_

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

* * *

Snowflakes had started to fall once again. The salted city roads saw them melt as soon as they touched the concrete, but Yao doubted that would last for long. If the snow fell diligently enough, they would soon be faced with just as much as they'd seen the day before. He was still cold and tired from his early start, but if Elizabeta was to insist on a busy day, a busy day he had ahead of him. He was moderately glad Yong Soo had managed to scrape his way into other people's business. As much as he enjoyed the company of rich people, he found social differences were frequently pointed out when with people such as Roderich and Francis. The pair of them lacked all perception of mundane life. Although Yong Soo had an awful habit of sometimes acting insensitively, his familiarity with Yao made him more cautious about what he said and did. People such as his client and his community were unafraid to show to others they had wealth, and considerable amounts of it as well. This day was probably going to be visitations of places that were substantially costly; places Yao wouldn't go to on a regular basis.

How fruitful this trip would be to Yao he wasn't sure. He was aware that, in just two days, it would've been two weeks since Niklas was murdered. He had a lot of evidence, but he could tell the search was dwindling. Come Monday, he would have to admit defeat and accept the murder had become a cold case. He would still offer his services, but he doubted Roderich would be too pleased to see how long the case could take. Besides, once the second week mark passed, it was very unlikely the killer would be found. Something he'd called a clumsy killing had turned out to be rather effective. He dearly hoped something would arise, but he doubted it would be today, or tomorrow. Monday loomed ever nearer. His conscience bore down upon him. He had wanted so desperately to finish the case, especially with the sum of money Roderich had promised.

Roderich and Elizabeta were waiting for them at the city centre. Both of them wore coats the looked tailored and designer, with Roderich's slim fitting black that hung to his hips, and Elizabeta's fluffy white coat. The couple glanced over as they neared, and Elizabeta smiled. Yao couldn't help but note she was definitely shorter than Kiku, but not by much. He shivered to think the murderer may be the one standing beside his client, letting herself be known as his fiancée. It would break up their marriage. A call from Lei would probably answer his questions, and Mei's field work gave him the excuse to do just this.

"Oh, Yao, it's good that we're seeing more of you," Elizabeta firmly grasped his arms, before moving on to gently pat Yong Soo's hands. "I feel like things are finally looking up."

She had no idea how close they were to the truth. Yao smiled thinly in response, trying to appear cheerful, but instead questioning why she would go so far. Surely she wasn't the murderer? And yet, so much evidence piled against her...

"It's weird, but…" she paused and smiled, having returned to Roderich's side. "Christmas is just under ten days away. It's really come by very quickly, wouldn't you agree?"

It was _almost_ as if she were mocking Yao. If she were indeed the culprit, then those same words could very well mean 'You've lost'.

"I'm really looking forwards to it," Yong Soo beamed.

"Me, too," Roderich nodded, then glanced at Yao. "I feel the New Year shall be a fresh start for me; am I right, Detective?"

Or perhaps the Young Master, with his cool aloofness, had murdered his father? He was slender and relatively tall- taller than Yao. Was Kasam really correct about the individual's height on the footage? Did Roderich's "fresh start" actually mean he had escaped the case scot-free?

"Absolutely," Yao forced his feelings aside. "With talent such as yours, I think you'll do very well, Mr Edelstein."

"Thank you," Roderich nodded, and sounded earnest. Yao wanted to be proud of fixing relations with his client, but still... those disturbing thoughts remained. Elizabeta was more likely out of the two of them, he presently believed.

"I forgot to mention, Francis, but we're meeting Germaine at the ice skating rink later," Elizabeta took her fiancé's hand.

"Oh?" Francis frowned.

"Yeah, she's come down to see the city before she goes off to France," Elizabeta beamed. "I thought it'd be wonderful if all of us spent the day together, and it's only _better_ that Yao and Yong Soo could come along."

"OK," the Frenchman replied.

The first part of the morning was spent looking around the shops of the city. Yao had seen them on an almost day to day basis, but for everyone else, this was a new sight. Yong Soo hung back with Yao, respecting that this was merely a shopping trip of items he was unlikely to be able to afford. The other three were interested in their journey around the city. A lot of the shops had switched to a Christmas theme by now; red, green and white had become common colours for Yao. Many shops were still closed from the heavy snow, and he could only assume more would start to close once the snow thickened once again. Darkened windows contrasted greatly to those who had their lights bright and golden, warm and welcoming.

Yao always found relief whenever they dipped into shops. The weather had become brutally cold without him properly noticing. Each store, whatever it sold, offered a warm welcoming of heaters. He couldn't believe he was wandering around the city centre with some of the most renowned people. His career seemed to be taking him gradually to greater places. He had strongly believed the Mayor would be the only prominent figure to ask anything of him, since the pair of them had attended school together. Although Mayor Jones had been a few years younger than him, they had spoken frequently and the pair had gotten on well. It seemed, after many years of university and life, Mayor Jones had recalled Yao's name and chosen him over many others to look into his own case.

It also seemed that Mayor Jones thought of him favourably to have suggested him to other people. Yao hadn't even solved the case, yet the Mayor was boasting about his services. He was relieved that the Mayor was such a loud mouth; the more cases of the rich, the more money; but it always surprised him how public prominent figures made their lives. They told one another everything. Yao loved his privacy.

They stopped for lunch. Lei still hadn't called, and Yao desperately hoped he wouldn't contact him whilst eating. Elizabeta had chosen a fine restaurant. Yao had seen it many times, but had never had the courage or money to enter. All sorts of delicious foods were served, but Yao had to opt for the rich steak they had on offer. It was beautiful cooked in some kind of rich, red wine sauce. The taste was luxury to his tongue. He savoured each mouthful to the very end. Yao was also never one to pass down dessert. He chose the amazing chocolate fudge cake on offer. It was served with pure vanilla ice cream and had raspberry sauce dribbled lightly across it. He couldn't get enough of the amazing food, but the meal came to an eventual end.

This was accompanied by more strolling and talking. Yao kept the subject away from the case; he didn't even dare ask heights, for he was sure that the figure must've been closer to Elizabeta or maybe Kiku's height.

The moment came when the group reached the ice skating ring. Their food had gone down by now. It was around three in the afternoon. Standing by the entrance of the ice skating ring was a petite young woman with blonde hair that was tied in a regal plait, long and spiralling down to her waist. Her eyes were a clear blue, a set of glasses balanced on her nose. She wore a pretty maroon, waist length coat and was adorned with sparkling jewellery. A delicate smile appeared on her face as the group neared, and she walked forwards, extending gloved hands forwards and embracing Francis.

"Oh, Francis, isn't it wonderful that I managed to come down here before my return to France?" she beamed, leaning away and smiling up at him.

"Absolutely," he returned the favourable expression, then glanced over his shoulder at Yao with a wide smile. "But you must meet Detective Wang. He's truly a very interesting character."

"Oh?" she glanced at Yao, the smile still on her face.

"This is Yao Wang," Francis gestured towards him. "He's currently working on Niklas' case."

"Ah, you have not been mentioned before," she smiled at Yao.

"I only met him yesterday," Francis replied. "Yao, this is Germaine; she's my wife."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Bonnefoy," Yao nodded towards her.

"And who are you?" she glanced at Yong Soo.

"This is my assistant," Yao jumped in quickly, before the young man could make a fool of himself in front of such a dignified and beautiful young woman. "His name is Yong Soo, and he often helps me with my investigations."

"We should go ice skating," Roderich checked his watch before glancing between the Bonnefoy couple. "We may as well make the best of the time we have."

The group moved gradually into the building, which was chilled, despite the outside temperatures. Tickets were all paid for, and each member selected a pair of skates appropriate to their foot size.

"I've never ice skated before," Yong Soo whispered to Yao, anxiety in his eyes.

"If you slip over, keep your hands to yourself," Yao instructed, pulling his boots on.

"What do you mean, Aniki?" his sidekick asked as the pair of them awkwardly trotted towards the ice ring, the blades on their shoes clacking against the floor and their hands curled around the railings provided for support.

"These skates are _sharp_ , aru," Yao was the first to reach the ice. "Skin and muscle won't stop their course."

He left it there, because he spiralled away into the mass of skaters, and also because he was a horrible person. Each time he saw Yong, the young man was either grasping the side rails with an ashen expression on his face, or braving free style skating, his hands hugging his sides or in his pockets. It was certainly an amusing sight.

Comparing Yong to Elizabeta was even more amusing. She could've been a professional figure skater with the way she breezed across the ring. Every now and then, she'd meet Roderich and the pair would spin away from one another. Yao assumed they probably had plenty of time to take weekend trips to the ice ring and practice. But Miss Hédeváry was a very talented skater. She was graceful and fast, and her open, free expression implied she enjoyed the sport greatly. He had the fortune of coming across Roderich around the edge of the ring. He must've stopped at some point to lean to the side and watch his fiancée enjoy herself.

"She's incredible, aru," Yao said.

"She did a lot of ballet when she was younger, which helps," Roderich noted. "But also the swimming and kickboxing have kept her flexible over the years.

"Swimming?" Yao glanced at him, although his mind was more on the second, more violent sport.

"Ja, she's in a team," Roderich nodded. "They do all sorts of things; laps, relays, races, different strokes, synchronised routines: the likes, really. She's very good. Kickboxing is just a hobby."

"I suppose all those spins require a lot of strength," Yao glanced at Elizabeta, who had caught Yong Soo and was spiralling him around, much to the young man's clumsy embarrassment, and possibly fear.

"Absolutely," Roderich continued, oblivious to Yao's questions. "Don't tell anyone, but she easily beats me in an arm wrestle."

Yao found he could actually believe that. But his interest remained on Elizabeta's physical strength. Ballet? Swimming? _Kickboxing_? All three of those asked for considerable strength, but so did another activity: bludgeoning Niklas Edelstein across the head with an unidentified object.

Right on cue, he suddenly received a phone call. Rummaging through his pocket, with Roderich glancing at him in mild interest, he checked the screen to see Lei's name flashing upon the screen.

"Sorry, I need to take this, aru," Yao excused himself, idly sliding away and escaping the ring.

He answered the phone once he reached a quiet spot, away from other people.

"What do you need?" Lei was always one for being straightforward. "You wanted me to- where are you? I hear voices."

"Ice ring, long story," Yao replied. "And, yes, I did want to talk with you, aru. It's about Elizabeta… I want you to check through her personal details; bank withdrawals, phone calls, anything you can find. I want to see if she's been getting someone else to do the dirty work for her, or if this is something she decided to take into her _own_ hands."

"Want me to check Roderich's details as well?" Lei asked hesitantly.

"I'd be careful," Yao warned. "I suspect his statements will be doubly secured after what happened to his father. I wouldn't risk it."

"Very well, but I'll include the home phone in my searches," Lei said.

"Please don't get arrested," Yao begged. "I physically don't have the money to bail you out, aru- and I _need_ you if I want to finish this for my paycheck."

"I'll be fine," Lei disconnected the call, and Yao glanced around the ice ring.

"Who you talking to?" he jumped and turned to see Francis had skated nearby, leaning across the rink, watching him with a knowing smile and dark, cornflower blue eyes.

Yao lowered the phone back into his pocket. "A friend of mine; you haven't met him, aru."

"Oh," there was almost disappointment in Francis' eyes, but that was swiftly replaced with amusement once again. "You should make the most of the ring; do you like ice skating?"

"I haven't really been that much," Yao admitted. "Needless to say, it's not _boring_ or anything, aru. I'm just not that great at it."

"How about I help you?" Francis offered. "I could teach you a few things."

"Don't worry about me," Yao leant against the wall and pulled one of the skates from his feet. "That call was actually mine and Yong's cue to get working on the case."

"There's been a change?" Francis probed.

Anything Yao said to Francis, he suspected would be reported straight back to Roderich. His reluctance to tell him anything must've been obvious, because Francis' eyes darkened slightly, and he leant away.

"Confidential case; I understand," he said. "I suppose you need Yong Soo, then?"

Yao nodded and, by some miracle, met Yong Soo's eye from across the ring. He motioned for his sidekick to hurry up and get a move on, whilst wrestling with the other boot.

"It was a nice day," Francis said. "Perhaps we ought to do something similar at some point?"

Yao breathed in deeply. "This case has kept me rather preoccupied, Francis, but we'll see, aru."

"Of course, of course," the Frenchman held up his hands with an easy-going smile once again.

Yong Soo clumsily bumped into the rail and crawled out of the ice ring. "I was not made for ice, Aniki."

"I can tell," Yao grabbed the boy's elbow as he stumbled and wrenched off the dratted shoes. "Francis, tell Roderich and Elizabeta we had to leave, aru."

"Yes, of course," Francis watched them both gather their shoes. "Remember, the offer to spend the summer in France with me is still completely open."

"Thanks, aru," Yao started walking away, lifting his hand in recognition, before dipping back out into the lobby.

"I swear his wife is with him today, da ze," Yong Soo glanced over his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Yao frowned.

"Hmm, _nothing,_ Aniki," Yong Soo scratched his head awkwardly. "Inviting you to his house in France? He only met you yesterday, da ze?"

"What did you just say, aru?" Yao pulled a face and looked at him.

"Well, I'm not sure how to say this," Yong Soo laughed nervously. "Hmm. I think Mr Bonnefoy has been coming on to you. Da ze."

"I wasn't talking about that," Yao scowled. "And don't be stupid, aru. Francis is attracted to me- he just wants _information_ about the case, not my number, aru. You young people jump to such bizarre conclusions. Everyone knows the French are amorous to everyone they meet, aru. Besides, with a wife like Germaine, I don't think any man could find his eyes wandering..."

"What _were_ you talking about, then, Aniki – da ze?" Yong Soo asked.

" _That_."

"What is 'that'? Da ze."

"That weird little noise you keep making at the end of your sentences, _aru_ ," he glowered. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Oh. My _verbal tic_ , da ze?" Yong Soo suddenly looked proud of himself.

"Verbal… what?" Yao narrowed his eyes. "Since when have _you_ had a verbal tic, aru? Your speech pattern has been perfectly fine for the time I've known you until today."

"Well, I figured that, since you have your 'aru', I need to have a verbal tic of my own, just like Aniki – da ze," Yong Soo beamed. "So, I thought of one and decided to try it out once we were away from everyone else; da ze."

"You can't just say 'da ze' at the end of every sentence; that's not a verbal tic, aru," Yao sighed. "I don't intentionally say 'aru', it just happens frequently on the end of my sentences – but not all the time, aru. You can't _invent_ a verbal tic, Yong, it's just there."

"But it sounds cool…" his assistant suddenly looked disappointed.

Yao sighed. "If you really want a verbal tic, don't pepper it at the end of everything you say, aru. Just do it every now and then."

"Like, if I want to make an assertion and want people to listen to me?" the young man beamed.

"I guess so?" Yao frowned uncomfortably. "Whatever. Do what you want, but if your mother starts complaining about your speech impediment, don't point the finger to me, because I didn't make you start saying 'da ze'. Why do you want to copy me, anyway?"

"Because I think Aniki's super cool," Yong seemed downcast.

"That's so weird, aru…" Yao grimaced.

"But seriously, I think Mr Bonnefoy was coming on to you," Yong Soo added.

"I highly doubt it, but I can see where you'd get the impression from," Yao said. "I actually think he just wants to have an ear in on the case, so has been super sucking up to me."

"Oh, of course!" Yong Soo's brows furrowed. "Only Aniki would be perceptive enough to recognise deceit of some kind."

"Let's just get going to Kiku's," Yao sighed. "I think we'll have to wait a little for Lei's response."

* * *

 **A/N:** _That's it from me until next week! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I had a lot of fun writing it! I know... we haven't seemed to have gotten closer to the case... but trust me when I say all will be revealed! Until next time!_

Germaine Bonnefoy: _Monaco_


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N:** _Hello, hello! I'm sorry I vanished a little bit across these past two weeks. My term finished yesterday, so now I'm able to relax for the rest of the month. Also, I have no winter assignments, so I have no deadlines to be worried about! Speaking of which, my deadlines were due the 7th and the 9th, two essays, one being 100% of one module and the other was worth 50%. I was really worried about getting those done, and they've kind of consumed all of my time these past weeks, or so. Anyway, now that everything is finished, I can now focused on my leisure- which includes **Investigasians**_ _._

 _On that note, I'm so glad to be back and free of responsibility. I've really missed writing, and it's been so hard to cram everything into my schedule. I know I study Ancient History, which isn't especially demanding in terms of contact hours- but the extra reading. Oh my God. I've never felt so behind in my entire life, but now that the term's finished, I won't have to worry about that for another month._

 _I can't believe it's December already! The past four months have shot by and, thankfully, it's nearly the end of 2016. I know a lot won't change, just because the year changes, but I think a new start always inspires people to be more positive at the beginning of the year. I'm going to try my best to continue writing some decent stories, and I'm really looking forwards to Christmas._

 _Without further ado, the next chapter of the **The Musical Massacre**!_

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

* * *

Lei's response took far longer than Yao had expected. It was on Sunday morning that he decided to call his colleague up, anxious that, tomorrow, the two week cold case deadline was drawing near. Even though it was nearly two weeks, Yao was sure he would try to continue investigating Niklas' death, purely for the sake of the rest of the money. He doubted much would be discovered, though. Evidence of the sheet music was probably long gone, and Yao doubted the pen still existed either. They had such little time, and Lei wasn't helping with his late responses.

"Yo," Lei answered almost instantly.

"Lei, we don't have much time, aru," Yao said anxiously. "Have you found _anything_?"

"I hate to say this, but their accounts are pretty complicated," Lei explained. "I can definitely get there, but it'll be later, that's for sure."

"Later today?" Yao prompted. "Later in the week, aru?"

Lei sighed, long and heavy. "I don't know. Just later, OK?"

"Fine," Yao closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Just… call me when you get an answer."

He disconnected the call and rested his mobile down on the counter in front of him. Kiku had offered to give Mei a lift to work that morning, as trains still weren't functioning due to the weather conditions. Yao had tried to protest, but his friend's explanation was that he'd needed to be out and about anyway, sorting out his bank account and then running some further errands around the city that his father had needed him to do. As a result, Yao had been stationed at the bar, making noodles for customers who dropped by. It was not quite the existence he had imagined, but as Kiku managed every day, then he would have to accept that.

It had meant an early morning for Yao, as the bar opened at seven. He was exhausted from all the excitement in his life, as well as how draining the case had become. However, serve customers he must, especially as Mr Honda peered in on him every now and then for a progress check.

The door swung open and Elizabeta flounced inside. Heads turned towards her, curious to see a new face. Yao stood upright, regretting that he looked unprofessional, lounging behind a bar with his hair scraped back whilst he prepared and handled food.

"Yao, I was told you lived here," she beamed, clasping her hands together, and looking around almost sympathetically.

"Hello, Miss Hédeváry," he said. "Is there something you need?"

"I just wanted you to know mine and Roderich's schedule, so that you could find us if you had any more questions," she nodded, approaching the desk. "He'll be staying at the venue you visited a couple of days ago, but I'm heading back to our house. I have a swimming tournament coming up, and need to make sure I'm ready."

"Of course," Yao nodded. "Thank you for letting me know, aru."

"I knew Roderich wouldn't say anything," she said, after a brief hesitation. "He's not very vocal about his timetable."

"I understand," he said. "Ah, Miss Hédeváry… May I ask about Francis' whereabouts during Niklas' birthday?"

"He was with me and Germaine a lot of the time," she said. "But after that, he went to speak with Roderich. The pair of them are such close friends, Yao. Almost brothers, and Francis greatly admired Niklas."

"So I've heard," he smiled. "Thanks, aru… I didn't realise he had a wife."

She paused, but it was so short-lived it may as well have not happened. She offered him a smile and a small shrug.

"They live very separate lives, as you may have gathered from Germaine's leaving to France today," she explained. "They never really talk about each other, if I'm perfectly honest. However, if you're suggesting their marriage is unhappy, I highly doubt that. They've been married for two years."

"I wasn't thinking anything," he blurted. "I was just curious, aru."

She blinked, suddenly surprised. "I see."

"Thank you, aru," he continued, becoming increasingly embarrassed.

With the smallest of waves, Elizabeta left the bar. Yao drummed his fingers on the table. Very few customers were present, which meant he was idle for a lot of the time. He received no calls from Lei, and was enormously relieved when Yong Soo finally arrived to provide him with company.

"How come you're here so late, aru?" Yao checked the time – it had gone twelve.

"Mr Zwingli came round today," Yong Soo said. "Apparently, he found out my details. I don't remember telling him, but maybe I did? Anyway, he was having a major bonding session with my dad, and I'm going golfing with them next week."

Yao had to silently admire his young assistant's ability to network.

"But I wanted to come up here and see Aniki, so I could help you with the case," Yong Soo continued – it seemed he'd dropped the 'da ze'. "Mum wouldn't let me leave until lunchtime, and I told her I'd have ramen here."

"Bad move, aru," Yao replied. "She hates that you only eat ramen with me."

"I don't care," Yong Soo waved a dismissive hand.

 _That's because you're not the one she complains to,_ Yao thought bitterly, but chose not to dampen the mood of the only person talking to him. "Do you want something to eat? Just because Kiku's not here doesn't mean you can't."

"Aniki can cook?" Yong seemed surprised by this.

"Of course I can," Yao bristled. "I did go to university. I once shared a flat with a group of people, and we had a cooking rota, aru. I could cook _before_ that. Whenever my parents were out, and I was home alone, I'd make a meal for myself."

"I usually just order something," Yong muttered.

"That's bad for you," Yao pointed out, gathering a batch of noodles and dropping them into the broth. "Also, you don't learn any life skills, aru. Surely your mum disapproves of you doing that?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "She lets me do what I like."

Yao, then, could not understand why Mrs Im believed Kiku's ramen was less healthy than the takeout food Yong was ordering whenever they weren't at home.

"I assume you want your usual," he stated.

"You know my usual?" Yong Soo was still shocked by the revelation that Yao had some means of self-sufficiency, it seemed.

"I'm here every time you order it," he grumbled. "How could I not, aru? I've even _paid_ for it, sometimes."

"Oh, right, sorry, Aniki," he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I'll have my usual."

Yao nodded as he added the ingredients in, one by one.

"Do I still need to pay?" Yong asked.

"Of course, aru," Yao replied. "This isn't my business; it's Mr and Mrs Honda's."

"Sorry, my bad; you're right," Yong Soo pulled some cash out of his pocket and paid. "Here."

Sliding it across the counter, he dropped it into the cashier and made a note of the increase in funds. Yao then returned to the noodles and steadily stirred them.

"I can't believe it's just over a week until Christmas," Yong Soo breathed. "It'll be the New Year soon. What will you be doing on both, Aniki?"

"I'll probably spend it with Kiku, you know," Yao said.

"Not with your family?"

Yao paused. His fallout with his father due to not establishing himself a "proper career" had left him on rocky terms with his direct relations for years.

"Nah, I don't see much of them," he explained. "They're very busy people, aru."

He wasn't sure why, but he always felt the need to treat Yong like a child, and act delicately around matters such as family disconnectedness. His sidekick didn't seem to mind. He continued to be blissfully unaware, or perhaps too polite, to acknowledge the matter further.

Yao served up the ramen and slid it across the counter, providing his assistant with chopsticks.

Yong slurped up a mouthful. "Not quite the Kiku standard, but nice enough."

"You don't just tell people their food tastes inferior to other people's," he muttered, and Yong's eyes widened.

"Sorry, Aniki."

"Elizabeta was just here," Yao said, and relayed his newly discovered information.

"Has Lei gotten back to us?" Yong asked.

"No," he sighed. "Well, maybe. He said he needed longer."

"Does that mean we're at a standstill, Aniki?" the young man asked, pausing midway through his next mouthful of ramen.

Yao wasn't sure how to tell him that the standstill may also mean the end of the case. He didn't want to crush the student's dreams of working alongside a top private investigator agency, solving murders and gaining a reputation for himself. Even Yao himself had believed he'd stood a chance of discovering the mysteries of this case.

"Lei will get back to us, aru," he insisted. "Besides, we can always go for direct confrontation, but once we resort to that, it really means we've hit the end."

"The end?" a troubled expression crept into Yong's eyes.

"Yeah," Yao sighed. "We've done our best, aru. Remember that, kid."

It wasn't until later that Yao received a call from Lei once again. There was anxiety in the young man's greeting that Yao didn't like. Luckily, Yao was safely tucked away in his office, handling the call with the grace of a mature adult. He wasn't about to let himself slip up in public, and as Kiku had returned, he was no longer needed downstairs to handle ramen and customer service. He had left Yong Soo downstairs when Kasam had come downstairs announcing Lei on the phone. He didn't need the student buzzing around his ear, constantly inquiring as to what was going on.

"Lei? What is it? What's wrong?" he questioned.

"I checked all data and everything, Yao," Lei fretted. "It's impossible to hack. It's like she's paid for top security on all her accounts; some damned hard programs to get to – and I think my computer was expelled with some kind of virus, but don't quote me on that."

"Will I have to buy you a new computer, aru?" Yao worried.

"Hopefully not," Lei said. "I believe I dispelled it, but if something does happen, it's my _life_ , Yao. So, yeah, basically, you'd have to pay for it."

Yao worried at his lip, before nodding. "Thanks, Lei. You've been helpful."

"What does this mean, Yao?" Lei asked, uncertain. "Edelstein won't give us the rest of the cash if we don't solve the murder."

"I know, aru," he ran a hand through his hair. "It's not over yet."

"What are you going to do?" Lei sounded tense.

"The only thing left to do," Yao said. "I'm going to question Elizabeta; she is, after all, our main suspect, and should be home alone."

"What?" Lei sounded surprised.

"She came in earlier today, saying she was preparing for a swimming tournament," Yao explained. "Roderich's staying in the city to clear up concert timetables and other matters. This is the best opportunity to speak with her alone."

"Make sure she doesn't call the police," Lei warned.

"If Officer Arsehole ends up on Edelstein's front doorway, I will ensure with all my power that _I_ will not be the one getting taken away to be locked behind a cell," he assured his teammate.

"You won't be able to continue this career if you end up behind bars for harassment," Lei added.

"Stop pestering me, aru; I understand," he insisted. "I need to go now, before it gets too dark. Otherwise she'd have more ammunition against me as some kind of stalker, or something."

"Good luck," there was doubt in Lei's voice as he hung up.

It was not comforting when one's own teammates doubted one's ability to perform one's duty. However, Yao had to accept that that was the way in which he'd always been treated by his allies, and would probably always be treated. Despite his demands for respect, he had come to terms with the idea that respect was a distant word that evidently didn't apply to his relationship with his teammates. Disregard was what kept them together, or so he told himself.

Standing from his self-made office, he glanced towards the picture of the Target he had pinned up on the wall. Once he had solved a murder case, the mysterious man would be far easier to track down; he would also have the prestige as a feared detective for having cleared up something as grave as the death of Niklas Edelstein. He had great confidence in his abilities, even if his teammates didn't.

Walking to the door, he opened it and peered out in the corridor. It was like doing a death march as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. He handed the phone to a bewildered Kasam, before heading downstairs to where Kiku and Yong were huddled before the desk. It was still cold outside, and a fresh bout of snowflakes had begun their descent. He would have to reach the Edelstein household before the snow became too thick to do anything.

"Come on, Yong," he said, shrugging on his coat. "We have a suspect to question, aru."

Yong's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Now? Are we ready to accuse someone?"

"This is our only chance, aru," Yao announced. "After today, the case goes cold. We're out of evidence. The killer has been surprisingly adept at covering their tracks."

"Be careful driving," Kiku worried. "It looks like the weather has become rather unpredictable. You don't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere."

"I'll be fine," Yao said, opening the front door. "And if I'm not, then expect to hear a call from me, aru."

The two childhood friends shared a knowing smile, before Yao threw himself into the blazing winds and icy drops of snow that landed on his hair and face. Yong was seconds behind him, an unusually anxious expression on his face.

"Are we getting Mei?" he asked.

"Of course we're getting Mei, aru," Yao grumbled. "She'd be furious if we excluded her from the questioning."

"Are you _sure_ we're ready for this, Aniki?" Yong said as they reached the Old Civic.

Yao unlocked it and grabbed the handle. "Do you have any other suggestions of what we could do?"

"M-maybe ask if Roderich's seen the pen, o-or… if he remembered anything about the sheet music?" Yong suggested.

"That's just the same as an accusation, pretty much, aru, especially as we all know the murderer took the pen, and possibly the sheet music," Yao rolled his eyes and swung the car door open. "Are you coming or not?"

"Of course I'm coming, Aniki," Yong Soo climbed into the car beside him.

"Then call Mei and tell her we're on our way," Yao instructed.

Yong Soo fumbled for his phone, until he held it firmly between both hands. Panicked, he dialed Mei's number and held the phone to his ear, glancing at Yao every now and then. Carefully, he concentrated on his driving; backing into the quiet roads that still hadn't seen the reintroduction of the majority of city drivers. Out of the corner of his eye, he could always see Yong sending him small, meek glances, something he tried to pretend didn't irritate him. He was tense about what they were about to do.

"Hey, Mei, it's me, Yong," his sidekick said, whilst Yao listened – the radio was off, stone dead and silent. "We're just coming by your house as we're going to be questioning Miss Hédeváry soon."

There was a pause, and Yao felt Yong look at him again.

"She wants to speak with you," he swallowed.

Yao inhaled deeply. "Tell her I'm driving."

"He's dri- oh, you heard," Yong said. "She wants to be put on loudsp-"

"If she says loudspeaker, put her on damned loudspeaker, aru," he snapped.

"Sorry, Aniki," Yong shrank back.

"OK, for starters: don't take your anger out on Yong, because it's not like he committed murder," she scolded, and Yao rolled his eyes. "And secondly, are you mad? You have no proper proof against Elizabeta to actually make a sound accusation."

"That's where you're wrong," Yao scowled. "Compared to everyone else, Elizabeta has the most evidence placed against her, aru. She was awkward about the polished gun at their house, we caught her at Giuliano Zwingli's household asking 'unfriendly questions', as he put it, and her whereabouts for the party have never been defined by anyone else. She has no alibis, and her behaviour concerning the late Mr Edelstein has been nothing short of suspicious. I'll have you know, aru, that I have _more_ evidence than you seem to think. I can add more, if you like, aru; Elizabeta has access to-"

"Shut up, you're giving me a migraine," she complained. "Fine; languish in insolence. I should be grateful you're bringing me along, so that I can clean up any messes you make."

"We won't be long, aru," he said.

"Fine," she hung up.

"She is so much maintenance, aru," he muttered, and was met with silence.

Glancing to the side, he saw Yong Soo's wide eyed stare in his direction.

"What, aru?"

"I thought Aniki was mad at me," came the small-voiced reply.

"I'm just stressed, Yong," he sighed, looking straight ahead once again. "Relax; I'm not angry, aru. Mei just frustrates me."

"She frustrates me, too," Yong Soo suddenly added cheerfully. "The next time we get a case, we shouldn't tell her."

For some reason, that bothered Yao. He didn't like hearing Yong bitch about Mei. Perhaps it was awkward, as he knew them both and valued their contribution to solving these cases. Either way, he was sure that if they didn't solve Niklas Edelstein's case, there would be no more Investigasians. That worried him, because Mayor Jones himself could possibly be tempted to find someone more capable of solving his 'Target' case, and that would be a great financial loss for Yao. He would probably ask Mr Honda for a new job.

The Old Civic pulled up before Mei's house, just as the snow seemed to intensify.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I think we may be nearing the end of the case, but that's just a hunch... And, if all goes to plan, it may be that the Fic will be ended for the New Year. How exciting! Until next time!_


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N:** _I'm sorry. Where have I been? Not here, that's for sure. I have no excuse. I've just been so lazy. I went to visit my friend in the south of England, and it's thrown me completely off kilter. I was supposed to update on Saturday night, but I've just been so lazy. I even had the chapter, sitting in my documents, not being posted. All I can do is apologise. I'm so lazy that I couldn't even be bothered to log on to a website- how bad is that? The fortunate thing is, I have tomorrow's chapter ready, and I'll still post that tomorrow, so double the fun, eh? Also, the Christmas chapter is ready, so that'll be posted. And yeah, basically. My life in a nutshell: putting off really simple tasks for absolutely no reason._

 _On the bright side, I'm ready for Christmas: had a hair cut, and finally had my ears pierced!_

 _Without further ado, the late chapter! Thanks for your patience!_

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

* * *

Mei hurried up from her house to the Old Civic. She was wearing a thick coat, but her hands were bare and pale by the time she reached the car. Her hair was flustered from the wind, falling across her face, and she had a bitter expression, both from the cold and possibly from the earlier bickering. Yong Soo's presence in the front seat did nothing to lighten her mood, as seen by her throwing open the car door in unexplained rage. The force of her actions made Yao worry that she'd break his car. She would have to pay for it, if that were the case, no doubt.

She slid into the back seat, just where he could make eye contact with her from his position as the driver. Her intentional intimidation was working. Yong Soo was rigidly sitting in his seat and didn't even take the opportunity to boast this time. Yao waited for her to strap herself in.

"Quickly, before this useless car's engine freezes," she muttered, fiddling with the belt.

"It's not that bad, aru," despite its faults and failures, the Old Civic was like a child to Yao; it was only natural he felt the need to defend it against Mei's vicious onslaught. "As a matter of fact, it's never broken down in the winter before, aru."

That was a lie. He had missed many a course or meeting during the winter when his unfaithful car had sputtered out and its engine failed him. However, he forgave it, as it was the only salvation he had and provided him an immediate method of transportation without having to borrow Mr Honda's car, as well as use his house.

She seemed sceptical; he could see it in her eyes. And she was right to think whatever she wanted, because her opinions on the Old Civic were probably correct.

The car set off, away from the house, and down the murky roads, into the shadowy depths that lay beyond. The trees that surrounded Mei's house loomed over them, and flurries of snow dropped onto the windscreen. The wipers slid across the glass, eradicating the very presence the snowflakes attempted to leave. The lights were on, the sky was dark, and Yao felt increasing anxiety building up inside of him, although he couldn't explain why.

He couldn't say for sure when the last time he felt nervous was. He would assume it was probably his final exams in university, but even that was a blur now that he was in the working world, and moreover, the _crime_ world. Perhaps it was asking Mr Honda if he could move in and rent? No, that wasn't it, because Kiku had asked on his behalf. His presence was supposed to be temporary, and that was what Kiku had said – "just a brief stay; temporary, dad" – but it became evident that, in the terms of two students, temporary meant permanent, and Yao had stayed. So, no, it hadn't been asking Mr Honda if he could stay.

"Red light," Mei and Yong chanted, and he jerked to a stop.

"Can't you drive?" Mei groaned at the sudden halt. "Pay attention to the road, otherwise you'll have Mrs Im to answer to."

He barely acknowledged her, before returning his gaze to the road. This was his first murder case. It hadn't quite gone as planned, but he had to assume murder cases rarely went smoothly. He didn't want it to go _wrong_ , that was all. He wanted it to go _right_ , so that he could at least have a good reputation. Now that he'd been introduced to a considerable number of the elite class, he had to maintain his status amongst them by impressing them with his career. He could envision it now: money rolling in by the seconds, a tailored suit just to his liking, and he could even have his hair trimmed more frequently. He would probably keep his beloved trench coat; like Sherlock's hunter's cap, his precious trench coat was his signature item.

They arrived at the Edelstein house much quicker than he'd expected, or maybe time passed quicker with nerves? Sitting in the car, the other two got out straight away.

"We don't have time to sit around," Mei said. "She's definitely here, but we don't want to get shut in this house with a murderer."

She had a point, and Yao happened to value his life.

"What's gotten into you?" she demanded as he stepped out of the car. "You're here, but you're also away with the fairies."

"I'm just tired," he lied. "Besides, this is an important interview, aru. It could go wrong and that would be the end of my career."

That seemed to hit someplace home, because her gaze softened and she offered a reassuring smile. "You've already accused her in front of Roderich; I don't think things can get much worse."

He nodded as he closed the door, and the pair of them approached the front door. Yong Soo bounded on his other side and the three of them stood before the door. Snow fell upon their shoulders and peppered their dark hair, until Yao finally lifted a gloved hand to the knocker. His fingers curled around its bronze sneer, and raised it at a right angle degree. The eyes of his assistants were on him.

Yao knocked three times, short and simple with each hit. Then he returned his hands to his pockets. The three of them waited, the cold winds biting their faces.

There was a momentary pause before Elizabeta opened the door. Her hair was damp from swimming, and she'd thrown a light dressing gown over herself. For a moment, her expression was one of agitation, but then soon turned to confusion to see the three Investigasians standing on her doorstep.

"Detective Wang," she held the door open, wide. "What honours do I have of seeing you here? As you know, Roderich's not here right now."

"Good," Yao strode inside. "I want to talk to you."

Her hand tightened on the doorknob. "Me."

"Yes, aru," he nodded. "Would you prefer we stay here, or are you fine with us being in your living room?"

"No, please; make yourselves comfortable," she gestured towards the sitting room, but the look in her eyes made it clear she had detected an unfriendly motive. "Can I get any of you something to drink?"

"We're fine, aru," he said, quickly, before Yong Soo got himself poisoned. "Thank you."

The four moved into the living room, where they made themselves comfortable. Elizabeta avoided direct contact with the sofa, instead spreading her dressing gown out around her. She was still wearing a swimsuit, and the faint smell of chlorine drifted up into the air now that there wasn't any wind present to blow it away.

"What are you here for?" she asked bluntly. "What have you come to tell me? Is Roderich dead? Is that's what's happened?"

"Not at all, you'll be glad to hear," he said. "However, I'm here to ask you straight: where were you at the time of Niklas' death?"

"His party," she replied.

"Do you have an alibi?" he asked.

"I flitted around loads of people," she answered. "My position was never stationary, so everyone will say they've seen me at different times. What is this, Det-"

"Did you get on with Niklas?" he continued, regardless of her discomfort.

"We got on fine," she said coolly.

"And what about you and Roderich?" he asked.

"M-me and Roderich?" she swallowed.

"Yes; is your marriage stable, aru?"

"Of course it is," Elizabeta bristled. "Has that anything to do with my late father-in-law, Detective Wang?"

"Falling marriages can lead to anything," he said. "Would you kill Niklas Edelstein, Miss Hédeváry?"

"Detective Wang, I would never do such a thing," she paled.

"Would you hire _someone else_ to do it?" he asked.

"Of course not," she stared at him. "I would never wish for Niklas to have died. I love Roderich, and I've never had anything against his father. The pair of them were close. Poor Roderich has been so hurt because of this. I could never hurt him in that way."

"Do you know why the gun is clean then?" he gestured behind her, and she turned, an incredulous expression on her face.

"Roderich cleans it," she whispered.

"But you said the glass case meant it was dirt protected…" he leant back into the sofa. "Did _you_ clean it, Miss Hédeváry?"

"I haven't touched it," her voice took on a hoarse tone. "Roderich would never kill his father."

"Roderich was at the party the entire time, aru," Yao shook his head sadly. "Francis is his alibi. What about you, though?"

"I wouldn't kill Niklas," she insisted. "Have you come here just to throw accusations at me? Is that was this is?"

"Have you seen the special pen Niklas uses?" Yao ignored her.

"He _has_ a special pen?" she looked clueless.

"What about sheet music?" he asked. "Did you take that?"

"I don't play an instrument, Detective Wang," she scowled.

"But did you take the music?" he asked.

"No," she sighed. "No; just, please… Before I call Roderich…"

"This is a simple interrogation, Miss Hédeváry," Yao shook his head. "Lots of people go through this. You can't possibly hope to hide behind your fiancé in order to avoid the law? Without him knowing what you're capable of?"

"I didn't kill Niklas – you've got it all wrong," she outburst. "What proof can I give you other than my word? Do you really have _that much_ evidence against me other than a lack of an alibi?"

"What were you doing at Giuliano Zwingli's house that day?" Yao asked.

Her face fell for a moment, before she averted her gaze. "I was…"

"He said you were asking 'unfriendly questions'," he prompted.

"I wanted to know if he'd done it," she answered.

"Are you sure?" Mei suddenly asked.

Elizabeta's green eyes suddenly flicked to her. "What?"

"You seemed unsure at first, only to latch onto something Yao said…" Mei noted. "Just saying."

"No, I…" Elizabeta was growingly increasingly uncomfortable.

"Is there some kind of connection between you and the Zwingli family we're not aware of?" Mei asked.

"Apart from the obvious tensions between Giuliano and Niklas, of course not," Elizabeta's mouth twisted into a vicious grimace.

"Where were you Monday night?" Yong Soo, wedged in between Yao and Mei on their sofa, was pale, and his eyes were wide.

Elizabeta froze as she laid eyes on him. Her expression was neither hostile nor friendly.

"Monday night…?" her eyes drifted across the room. "Visiting... visiting one of the girls on my team. That's when she told me there was a swimming tournament."

"What's her name, aru?" Yao asked.

"She's called… she's called… Angela," Elizabeta swallowed.

"Angela had a surprisingly masculine voice," Mei tapped her chin. "Apologies if I've made the assumption that being on a woman's swimming team makes her a woman?"

Elizabeta's mouth dropped open and fraction. "You were following me."

"We're sorry, Miss Hédeváry, but you were our number one suspect for a very long time," Yong Soo admitted. "We don't know what we witnessed, but if you can explain it to-"

"Please don't tell Roderich," tears tumbled from her eyes and Elizabeta hastily set about wiping her face and trying to turn away from them. "Please; I'll tell you, but you can _never_ let Roderich know."

"If this is something to do with his father's murder, Elizabeta, Roderich has full rights to know the truth," Yao warned.

"I understand, but it's nothing to do with that," she cried bitterly. "Oh, damn. Can I get a tissue? I'm so sorry."

"Please," Yao felt his cold heart melting in pity that he'd reduced a woman to tears. "Do."

"I'll get them," Mei offered. "Where are they?"

"There's some in the kitchen," Elizabeta gestured to the doorway. "Just across from here."

Mei stood and was gone. Yao allowed Elizabeta some time to recollect herself, which happened moments before Mei returned with the tissues. Their client's fiancée gently blew her nose and blinked the water from her eyes with a deep exhale. An air of resignation hovered around her.

"Are you ready to tell us, aru?" Yao asked kindly.

"Promise me that Roderich won't know what happened," Elizabeta said, the hints of warning in her tone.

"He won't hear a word, unless this directly connects to his father's death," Yao explained patiently.

"Very well, then," Elizabeta swallowed. "I was at the Zwingli household because I was trying to find Basch – do you know Mr Zwingli's son?"

"I met him," Yao shrugged, recalling the uncharismatic young man with the vicious expression.

"I was trying to find him that day, and he was also the person I called to meet me on Monday night," she sighed.

"We're very sorry for following you that night," Yong Soo admitted sheepishly.

Elizabeta offered him a brief, thankful nod. "Well, I'm not exactly on good terms with him, as you may imagine."

"Your conversation was very…" Mei paused to think for a moment. "Personal."

"I was having an affair with him some months ago, but I called it off," Elizabeta flushed with embarrassment.

"A Swiss lover?" Yao frowned, puzzled. "Really, aru?"

Mei shot him a chilling glower and he clamped his mouth shut.

"It was a difficult time in our marriage…" she cringed. "Roderich's father wanted him to go to Austria to start a career with a new concert hall he planned to build there, and Roderich, who kissed Niklas' shoes in whatever he did, was more than willing to go along with it. But Austria? I had no intentions of leaving here; I love London far too much to let it go. I must admit, I was unfair to him, because I understand he loves his music and wants to pursue it; I wanted to stay because I had my kickboxing classes, and my swim team; all my friends were here, and I knew, as we had been in a relationship for some years, that I was likely expected to go to Austria with him. It was one of those permanent moves; I wasn't ready to leave this life behind. I also wasn't ready to leave Roderich..."

"That's understandable," Yao admitted; he could never imagine being obliged to leave somewhere he loved for the sake of someone else.

"I'm glad someone does, because Roderich certainly didn't," she huffed. "The conversation ended there between us, and he hasn't brought it up again, although I suspect he and Niklas continued fantasising over this new hall they had in mind."

"Something tells me you're still a little bitter about this, Miss Hédeváry…" Yong Soo commented.

"Of course I am," she shrugged. "It was a rough stage of our relationship, and was very close to being the last stage of it. Basch was… a comfort out of many. He was there when I needed him, and it was a way to escape the rough patch I was having with Roderich. It was quite shameful of me; really, he was just out of university when I met him, twenty-two and a little naïve of the world around him. But he was also _not_ Roderich, and that was the point about him. We met at a bar after one of my swimming tournaments when I was out with celebrating a decent victory with the team, and it hit off from there."

"But you obviously broke it off, aru," Yao shrugged.

"Yes, three months ago," she nodded, distant. "We were dating six months, and then I broke it off."

"Six months is a long time," Yong Soo's eyes widened. "You were also arguing with Basch?"

"No, not at all," she shook her head. "The relationship was still going well with him; but it was guilt, and a sudden love for Roderich once again. It was like a part of me was reminded of who I was _actually_ with, and I was able to see the good in him again. You see, I broke it off with Basch a little after Roderich proposed to me and we got engaged. Suddenly, I couldn't bear a life without Roderich, and I was terrified of losing him."

"A good relationship that was broken off…" Yao pondered. "I assume Basch was angry about that?"

"Furious," Elizabeta shrugged. "Mei heard our conversation. We've been bitter to one another since. But it seems he still wants me back."

"But you're with Roderich for sure," Yong Soo frowned. "He's too late."

"Unless Roderich were out of the picture, aru," Yao furrowed his brow. "Which doesn't explain it; why Niklas, and not Roderich? It can't be Basch… He's too disconnected, aru. You're right that this won't be related to the case..."

"Roderich looks like Niklas, doesn't he?" Mei suddenly stood up.

Elizabeta swallowed. "Their resemblance was uncanny. Although Niklas was getting silver hairs and he looked much older when they stood side by side."

"Had Basch ever met Roderich before?" Mei questioned.

"Huh?" Elizabeta's eyes glazed over as she considered the question. "Not until _after_ Niklas' death. I mean, their fathers knew each other, but the two had never met..."

"And his reputation as a musician?" Mei seemed increasingly anxious.

"Had already begun before his father's death," Elizabeta smiled proudly.

"With the piano," Mei added.

"As the 'Young Master'," Elizabeta wore a fond expression. "He had quite a reputation, yes."

"And what about this…" Mei glanced around. "In a dark theatre, on the night of Niklas Edelstein's sixtieth birthday, something that would probably be known to the Zwingli family, it would be _very_ difficult to see the grey hairs and age difference. And why would the old man leave his _own_ birthday party? To sit at the piano and compose an unfamiliar piece of music? Naturally, anyone could assume Roderich left to create a surprise composition for such a big decade of his father's life."

There was a pause as Yao let her words filter through his brain. The more he thought about it, the more clear the clumsy murders fit into place. Elizabeta paled almost instantly.

"You mean… the murderer may not have meant to kill _Niklas_ , but instead _Roderich_?" her mouth hung open.

"Mei, you have no proof," Yao gawked.

"Well, it's _evidently_ not Elizabeta, and the only person we _haven't_ questioned is Basch," Mei folded her arms. "His motive seems legitimate and-"

"That doesn't matter right now," Elizabeta leapt to her feet. "All that matters is if Roderich's OK. He's probably all alone, setting the theatre up right now, as we speak."

"Alone, aru?" Yao blinked.

"Yes, he prefers to plan it out without the interference of others before he has members of staff construct the orchestra, et cetera," she tied the dressing gown around her and strode towards the doors. "But he's not much of a fighter, Detective Wang; if something were to happen to him because of me, I could never forgive myself – never."

"You can't go out like that in the cold," Yao followed her and watched as she pulled on a pair of boots. "You'll get sick. The weather out there is brutal."

"I won't rest until I'm sure Roderich is alive and well," she insisted and threw open the door, the wind howling past and lifting her hair from her shoulders.

He could see her teeth chattering, but she strode out of the house before he could stop her. However, Yao could see where she was coming from; if Basch was the killer, and was aware of Roderich's being alone, then there was a chance that the Edelstein line was in danger of being completely wiped out.

"Get in the Old Civic," he called after her, unlocking the car.

She paused and looked at him, a determined expression in her eyes. "Thank you for everything, Detective Wang."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you for your patience. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you and until next time!_


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N:** _As promised, this week's chapter. Did I mention last time that I got my ears pierced!? Well guess what: they're asymmetrical so I have to get one done again... Apparently one of the people who did my ears isn't meant to pierce ears, and unfortunately she gunned the wrong part of my lobe... Sadly, I look a bit silly because I've had to take the bad earring out, but have to keep the other one in, because I need to let the previous piercing heal up... I won't be able to get my next piercing until next week, and it's typical that something like this should happen to me- I'm prone to bad luck, and it just so happens having my ears pierced absolutely terrified me. And now I have to do it again! Even if it wasn't_ nearly _as bad as I believed it would be, it's not something I want to make a habit..._

 _On to far more positive news, it's nearly Christmas- as in, two days- and I make it my custom to post extra chapters on important days, such as Christmas. I won't be breaking that mould, and another chapter of **Investigasians**_ _will be posted on Christmas Day, or the day after, depending on my schedule. As much I would have liked this Fic to strategically end on Christmas, it won't- but it will definitely have ended by the end of the year. Thank you for your patience, because my posting times throughout this year have been absolutely awful. I'll save my main apologies for the final chapter of this Fic, so for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Without further ado: the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

* * *

For once, Mei and Yong Soo didn't bicker about being in the back of the car. The pair of them sat, rigid and still, and staring straight ahead as Yao drove the Old Civic away from the Edelstein manor. Elizabeta sat in the passenger seat, still shivering from the cold, although Yao had turned the heating on full. At first, a torrent of cold air had burst through, much to the embarrassment of the car's owner. However, the air had finally flown through, warm and luxurious, promising better days. Pleased, Mei had been able to content herself with waiting for the car journey to end.

Nobody turned on the radio, and faces of all others in the car were nothing if not anxious. If Roderich turned out to be dead by the time they arrived at the theatre, Mei would never be able to feel the same. This was another human's life they were dealing with. Two had already been lost.

Yao was driving faster than normal.

"Careful, Aniki," Yong Soo put a hand on the back of Yao's chair. "If we get caught by the police again, that'll only slow us down."

"It's an empty road with the snow building up," Yao said. "Trust me when I say there won't be a single police car patrolling at this time."

That was true. The snow had been falling the entire time they had been speaking with Elizabeta, and from the moment they'd set off from her house. The windscreen wipers furiously brushed away the cold substance, only to be replaced by more. Yao had the de-mister on, to keep the screen clear. If it hadn't been for the heating, Mei would have been freezing, despite her coat and everything. She could only imagine how Elizabeta felt at the moment. Not only was the cold a problem, but the man she was supposed to be marrying was potentially in danger. Her stern expression was admirable. Mei would have broken down from the pressure by now.

Snow swept past them, and there wasn't a car insight. The city wasn't within view, either.

"I don't want you going in first," Yao warned Elizabeta. "Just in case if something's there, aru. It's very likely we're overreacting and that Roderich's fine, just to let you know."

"I'm hoping that's the case," Elizabeta confessed. "I would hate for him to be in danger because of me."

Yao nodded, and didn't say anything more. Whilst it was tempting to request for the radio to be turned on, the moment felt so inappropriate, and Mei didn't have the heart to make things awkward. She could imagine the disgusted expressions of those around her if she were to listen and hum along to the top charts as if nothing were happening. Travelling had always been boring to Mei, and her inability to preoccupy herself was a curse. The flight from America, although nerve wracking, had been filled with music from her phone. She was forced to sit in tense silence alongside everyone else. She had to remember that this was a life or death matter. Roderich Edelstein's _life_ was at stake here.

The first looming shapes of the city began to materialise from the murky shadows ahead of them. It was a relief to think they had managed to come so far, and that the music theatre was close enough for them to reach in short time. It was going so well, and Mei felt like a marathon runner heading towards the finish line, when the Old Civic's engine began to sputter and fail. Yao slammed down on the accelerator twice, but the car refused to go further. It coughed and crashed out, falling dead and the engine shutting down. They sat in cold misery for a few seconds, until Elizabeta threw open the door and stepped out into the cold.

"Wait, Miss Hédeváry," Yao pleaded, as Mei followed the young woman's lead and stepped out into the freezing temperatures. "It's cold; you're only going to hurt yourself, aru."

" _I don't care_ , Detective Wang," Elizabeta cried out over the winds as she trudged through knee deep snow. "I need to see Roderich. Now."

"Can't we see what's wrong with the Old Civic?" Yao begged. "If we get the car working, it'll be quicker than walking."

Mei peered round the front and saw the heaps of snow heaped at the Old Civic's front. "This isn't something we can fix, Yao. There's just too much snow. We're driving in a hazard."

The sensible thing to do was walk; as mad as that sounded, the Old Civic wouldn't be moving for quite some time. Mei hurried after Elizabeta, carrying her feet through the layers of snow. To have stopped a car, it was a lot, and it was thick. She was wearing leggings, but Elizabeta's legs were pale, and the cold had paled and frozen her skin. Even she was beginning to have deeper concerns for the young woman's health, but there was no stopping her. Until Roderich was confirmed fine, Elizabeta Hédeváry would not stop until she was dead. It was charming to see how far her love for her fiancé went. Mei hoped that, one day, she would find a devoted love like that.

"Yao, _come on_ ," Yong called, and Mei glanced over her shoulder to see him a few steps behind her. "We don't have time to mess with that old heap."

Yao, who was standing near the car in his attempts to fix it, groaned, and followed after all the others. Mei turned away once again, battling the elements. Wind was blowing snowflakes in her eyes, and sometimes her hair would whip across her face, stinging and constantly needing to be pushed aside. She was squinting in her pursuit of Elizabeta, but she managed to keep in pace with everyone else. Mei had never been athletic, and she wasn't tall either. However, even she allowed her determination to pull her past the strength of nature.

"We're almost there!" Elizabeta called over her shoulder after a solid twenty minutes of walking.

The snow thinned the nearer the city they got. The heat of pollution and the mass of buildings reduced the amount of snowfall significantly. Once they were out of the suburbs, with the houses layered in a thick heap of snow, the city's heart was covered in crystallised cold. Street lights cast their jeers down in bright jets. Not a single car roamed the roads; they were all stationary, covered in snow and not in use. The weather meant business.

However, the city was alive. Night life had begun, and bright beacons and banners shone across the tall skyscrapers. Mei rarely went into the city that late, so it was breath-taking to see it in such a way. Now was not the time to be admiring the scenery, though. She had to dodge past other people wondering around just to keep up with Elizabeta. Eyes naturally turned towards the woman with damp hair and a dressing gown tied around her body. Mei had to guess everyone recognised her. But it was clear Elizabeta was past caring. Her determined expression and natural GPS led her through the city as if she'd learnt to walk there.

She turned a corner and the music theatre was within sight. A little fast walking could bring you anywhere within no time. It was then that Elizabeta broke out into a jog. Mei gawked when she began to sprint across the snow, hair streaming behind her and the gap between them rapidly grew.

"Elizabeta, _wait_ ," she called after her, and started to run herself.

She didn't bother checking to see if Yao and Yong were keeping pace with them. All she cared about was not letting Elizabeta enter a potentially hazardous building on her own. She saw their client disappear into the depths of the music theatre, the doors swinging closed behind her. Huffing and puffing, Mei finally reached the door and leant her full weight against it, forcing it open. The lobby was devoid of people. She could see several faint marks along the carpet, leading to different places. However, what caught her eye was the door left ajar just a little to the side of the receptionist's desk. Mei's feet carried her towards the entrance and she pushed the door open, letting it drift back into place as she passed through. It was dark, the lights turned off, and she couldn't find a light switch. The toe of her boot caught a step and she ascended higher, climbing a set of stairs that, presumably, led to the higher set of chairs available to the audience.

* * *

Yao was horrified to see Mei take off after Elizabeta. He had hoped someone of his own team would have more common sense, but was disappointed to see Mei was just as driven by her emotions as she'd always been. Luckily, Yong Soo remained loyal, glancing tentatively over his shoulder every now and then just to make sure Yao hadn't fallen too far behind.

He had always been at the bottom in P.E. class. All other boys in his class had managed to do exceedingly well, but Yao had always lagged at the back, and had never put his complete and full effort into his exercise. Only now had fate ordained him to regret this, as he struggled through the crowds, hoping Mei and Elizabeta would be OK.

Heavy legs carried him to the music theatre, and a pain was knotting in his side. Yong held the door open for him, and he gratefully ducked past his arm inside. Desperately, he hurried towards the entrance to the concert hall. If Roderich was in there, he was likely practising the piano or setting out the layout of the orchestra.

Yao burst through the door and saw Elizabeta whip round at the sight of him, eyes wide.

"Miss Hédeváry," he panted. "Is he…?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Detective Wang," Roderich was stood on the stage, a coffee held in his hand. "I honestly don't see what the fuss is about."

"Mr Edelstein," he breathed, relieved, as his eyes darted around. "Where's Mei?"

"I don't know," Elizabeta looked puzzled. "She was right behind me."

Yao gazed around the concert hall and caught sight of someone standing in the seating above, half hidden by the dim, almost non-existent lighting. They held a long, dark object in their hands.

"Roderich, aru!" Yao yelled, and watched the Young Master flinch backwards just as soon as shot echoed around the entire hall.

The bullet hit the grand piano, leaving a large scratch alongside its side. It was exactly where Roderich would have been. Yao returned his gaze to the seats above to see the same face, none other than Basch Zwingli, reloading a long, powerful rifle. His heart fluttered breezily in his chest.

Just as he was taking aim again, Mei appeared out of nowhere from behind and grabbed his arm from behind.

* * *

Mei jerked upwards and the bullet shot towards a ceiling, smashing a light and sending glass raining down on the seats below. The gunman shrugged her away backwards and whipped round, catching her face with the rifle. Mei lost her footing and fell down onto the chairs, an arm digging into her side painfully. Her cheek throbbed, but she got a good look of the incredulous expression on Basch Zwingli's face.

"What is that detective and his crew doing here?" he grumbled agitated.

"We suspected you'd be here to finish the job you intended to do," Mei scrambled to her feet just as he slung the gun over his shoulder.

Basch grabbed her by the throat and her pushed her to the railing. "I don't _really_ care. It's just an increase in the body count, and perhaps means Elizabeta may have to go as well."

"Even a rich family can't get away with seven _murders_ ," Mei gagged.

"I think you underestimate the powers of us elites," he smirked.

He was about to offer her a violent push to her death when Yao and Yong Soo hurried up the stairs. Distracted, he turned at their loud entrance. Mei took the opportunity to jam her foot into his knee and send him stumbling backwards. Luckily, he wasn't too big, so she could just about get him off her.

* * *

"Hands in the air, Zwingli," Yao demanded, fumbling for the gun in his coat pocket.

Rather than do as asked, Basch Zwingli decided to act like every desperate man who wanted to escape unpunished from a criminal act. He charged at Yao and battered the pistol away from his hands with the rifle. The way he used it like a bat was both painful and amazing; Yao would never have thought a rifle to be so multi-purpose.

"You've been on my case for too long, Detective," Basch growled. "Not only that, but you're not the type to be paid off, are you?"

Yao was tempted to say "it depends", but his attachment to his clients and basic moral judgement held him from saying so.

"I thought so," Basch concluded for himself.

Yao noticed the gold bag hanging from his shoulders. "That bag…"

"He's the one!" Yong called from behind. "The golf bag that janitor had; that's what it was."

Yao's eyes widened. "You used a golf bag to smuggle a rifle into the music theatre, aru. Let me guess; you also bought your way to the footage you needed?"

"I did what I had to," Basch snapped. "Once you kill a man, you can't got back."

"You didn't have to kill Niklas Edelstein – or his son, for that matter, aru," Yao retorted. "Haven't you ever had a girl break up with you before, aru?"

"You honestly think Elizabeta had _zero_ connections before meeting Roderich?" Basch sneered. "Think again; the Hédevárys are yet another elite, wealthy family amongst us. I happen to like cash, and Elizabeta was attractive; I could easily live with that."

"You were _that_ desperate for _just_ money?" Mei cried.

"Perhaps there were feelings behind it," Basch shrugged. "But that's gone and past now."

Basch caught Yao in the head with the rifle. He was wary about being hit too hard with the deadly weapon.

"Is this the same rifle you used to bludgeon Niklas over the head with?" Yao demanded.

"A different one," Basch sneered. "I disposed of the other one. However, my father loves rifles, and I have a good aim. There's plenty to use at my disposal."

He turned the gun in his hands and took aim directly at Yao's face. Yao squeezed his eyes shut, tangled in the rows of chairs as he was, and heard the bullet awkwardly slam through the air. There was a howl of agony and a triumphant shout. Opening his eyes, he saw Basch clutching a bleeding arm and Yong with the pistol in his hands, frightened eyes and shaking.

"You bastard," Basch growled, retaining his composure.

But it was too late. He was injured, and Yao preyed upon such a weakness. Shooting forwards, he grabbed the young man's injured arm and dug his nails into the wound, the searing bullet still embedded burning into his fingertips. Basch cried out, a spasm passing through his arm and Yao managed to wrestle the rifle from his hands.

"Hands on your head, Zwingli," he repeated, turning the rifle round in his hands and taking aim at the young man's chest.

Mei hurried up from behind their enemy, and pulled his hands behind his back.

"What the-" he almost struggled, but stopped when Yao cocked the rifle.

"It's over, aru," Yao sighed. "You couldn't honestly have expected to have gotten away with murder?"

Zwingli's fierce green eyes narrowed. "If I believed I'd get caught, then I never would have done it in the first place. Obviously"

"Everything was going so well until you went after Roderich," Yao shook his head. "You were _that_ desperate to finish the job?"

Basch opened his mouth, ready to speak, but Yao shook his head.

"Save it for the interrogation," he smirked. "Yong, call the police, aru."

"Already done," Roderich said, walking into the room.

His face was flustered, and just a few steps behind him was Elizabeta, pale faced and ashen at the sight of Basch standing there.

"They should be here in no time," he explained, cool and aloof as usual.

"Is there anywhere we can hold him?" Yao asked. "We need a confined space."

"Yes, my office," Roderich rummaged with his keys. "I think that should do nicely."

Basch swore under his breath as Yao led him away, following after Roderich's footsteps.

* * *

Sirens blared as the police sat outside the music theatre. Tape prevented the public getting closer, as did a few officers posted in their respective positions. The sky above was tar black, not a single star in sight, but the lights from the police cars lit up the entire parking lot.

Basch was led, handcuffed, to one of the vans, a sour expression on his face.

"Outed by a pompous prissy and his whore," he had snarled in his departure, much to the unamused faces of Roderich and Elizabeta.

Officer Kirkland sauntered over to Yao, who was proudly watching the killer get led away. "I must admit, I never expected you to be able to do this."

"You underestimated me, Arthur," Yao glanced at him, smug.

"Don't get too cocky," Kirkland sniffed. "It's one murder of many that you've solved."

"But I proved you wrong, aru," Yao raised his chin.

"You're lucky to be alive," Kirkland grumbled.

"That was actually due to this kid's help," Yao nudged Yong, who wore a clueless expression on his face. "Thanks for that, by the way, aru."

Yong smiled tiredly. "Anything for Aniki."

"Yes, well, speaking of this young man, we need to bring him back to the station and call his parents to let them know what you dragged him into," Arthur said disapprovingly. "I know he's always involved with your schemes, but remember: he's a kid."

"I know, aru," Yao nodded. "Tell them I'm sorry, Yong."

"Aniki?" Yong Soo's eyes widened.

"Go with Officer Kirkland," he nodded with a gesture. "He'll make sure you get home."

"Other than that, well done," Arthur suddenly couldn't hold his gaze. "You've exceeded my expectations considerably. Perhaps you'll even build yourself a career out of this, Wang?"

"Perhaps so, aru," he smiled. "I need to speak with my client. Make sure this kid gets home safely, OK, aru?"

"Guaranteed," Kirkland replied.

"When am I allowed to speak with Zwingli?" Yao asked.

"We'll have him under isolated custody for the first twenty four hours where we amass evidence against him," Arthur explained. "If we find sufficient evidence against him, we can formally arrest him, where we'll have him interrogated during the second day and have formal documents signed, and so on. You can see him on the third day and ask him whatever you like before he's trialled and sent to prison."

"Excellent, aru," Yao clapped his hands together. "I need to speak with Edelstein now. See you, kid."

"Bye, Aniki," Yong Soo looked mournful as he trailed after Officer Kirkland, who said, "Your parents are probably worried about you."

Yao lifted a hand as the chief pushed Yong towards a car. The blonde man paused and turned. "Remember this, though, Detective Wang: the case did rather solve itself."

Sullenly, he watched the Chief Officer get into the car. Yao strolled into the lobby once more, where Roderich, Elizabeta and Mei had gathered. Elizabeta had a foil blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm, and the faces of Roderich and Mei could only be described as disgruntled.

"I can't believe this is over," Roderich mused.

"He may not be the murderer of your father," Yao warned, but received sceptical looks from all those in the room. "However, I think he is, aru."

"I don't understand, though," Roderich sighed. "I've never spoken to Basch before… Not enough to earn his hatred. Why would he kill my father and want to kill me?"

Yao couldn't help but make awkward eye contact with Elizabeta. His flicked his gaze to Mei, and saw understanding appear in her eyes.

"We need to speak with Kirkland," he told her. "About speaking with Zwingli."

"Ah, of course," she followed after him into the cold. "Is she going to tell him about… you know?"

"Her illicit relationship with Zwingli?" he glanced at her, cheeks red from the cold. "It's only fair that she does, aru. He has a right to know, and it's only best that _she's_ the one to tell him."

Mei was silent for a minute. He glanced at her, and saw her dark eyes were in thought.

"Where's Kirkland?" she asked, glancing around. "We need to speak with him, right?"

"That was a lie to get you away from them, aru," he said. "They need privacy for something like that."

"I understand."

He glanced at her again. He could see the red mark on her face from where Zwingli had batted her away with the rifle. She caught him staring at her.

"Well, you _actually_ solved something, Yao," she said wryly. "How does it feel to be successful?"

"Like an ordinary day, aru," he smiled, but Kirkland's words played slightly on his mind. What if the case had rather solved itself?

The pair of them gazed out across the sea of red and blue flashing lights. There was something beautiful about seeing the snowfall get illuminated by such lights. He had completed his first murder case successfully, and felt extremely proud for having done so. The Investigasians had sought justice and avenged both Niklas and Williams.

The case was over.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Until next time! xx_


	28. Chapter 27

**A/N:** _I hope everyone had a good Christmas- I certainly did. This chapter is being posted as the Christmas special, so I hope you all enjoy and I hope this perfectly summarises the truth of the Musical Massacre!_

 _Enjoy the rest of your holidays, and you should hear from me next Friday._

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

* * *

It was the coldest morning Yao had experienced yet. With just five days to Christmas, the snow was falling in rapid heaps. The Old Civic was a long forgotten memory, abandoned at the Honda Ramen Bar, whilst he had walked up to the police station. He was without his assistants. The pair of them were in their respective homes, and would probably be there for the rest of the year. Their duty was done, and they were no longer needed to trek out into the hazardous weather. It best suited Yao anyway. In times like this, he needed a flexible schedule without needing to wait for the pair of them to reach the city from their individual destinations.

Kiku had been working at the bar when Yao had first come down. Curious about the case, for Kiku had been duly informed of what had happened on Sunday night, Yao had carefully said today was the day he would speak with Basch, and discover what was necessary.

He dragged his feet through snow covered streets. After the next flurry of snow on Sunday, the local council had given up on salting the streets. Although the system was disrupted, there was very little they could do, and it was preferred to save costs by reducing the amount of times they placed salt down. For any students still at school, they would be reducing the last few days had been interrupted with heavy snowfall. That meant there were no engines running to disturb the peace. Yao decided he really liked the city when it was like this. There was something about it that was truly splendid. Its silence wasn't eerie, but peaceful, and the forest of buildings added to the isolated feeling that this city belonged to him. Without the mammoth crowds of people, Yao felt like he owned the place. City dwellers roamed a little, but most were tucked inside, hiding in the warmth and underneath their blankets.

It was a twenty-five minute walk to the police station from the Honda Ramen Bar, so Yao's hands were frozen by the time he reached the facility. He wished he had some proper gloves, but the lack of time and money for the investment left him constantly short of cash he both needed and wanted. He pushed open the door of the stations and relished the blast of hot air that descended upon him from above. Breathing in, he trailed snow into the entrance room, and received glances from the few members of staff available despite the weather. Eyes drew towards him, but he walked straight up to the desk.

"Hello?" the receptionist asked, disinterested and assuming he had come to the police for some pointless reason.

"Hi, aru," he smiled, rummaging through his pocket and pulling out his ID. "Detective Yao Wang here; is Chief Officer Kirkland around?"

"He is, and he was expecting you," came the reply, and a brief call was made via the intercom. "He should be here soon. Just sit down in those seats over there."

Yao plopped himself down where the receptionist pointed, and stared around the entrance room. A couple officers casually chatted by the coffee machine, their expressions and hand movements indifferent to the world around them, and unaware of Yao's watching gaze. One also held a pastry of some kind – croissant or cheese danish, Yao could not tell – whilst the other fiddled with the machine, pressing the hot water button. Yao yearned for something hot to drink, but assumed the drink would cost around two quid, and his dwindling funds needed to be saved for when Mr Honda demanded his next rental payment.

"Having fun watching my team?"

He turned his head and saw Officer Arsehole awaiting him, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. The two policemen glanced towards them and shifted away with their coffees, suddenly detached from their conversation once again. Yao awkwardly stood.

"Staring into space, aru," he lied.

"Or do you want a drink?" Kirkland asked.

"No, I'm fine," Yao had swiftly learnt to never show weakness.

"This way, then," Kirkland motioned for him to follow. "We've had Zwingli under surveillance and its quite interesting what he's said so far. Shameless, really. He pretty much admitted his crime within the first five minutes, but as you wanted to take a look, we've postponed his trial until next week, Tuesday."

"That late?" Yao asked.

"Nobody likes working on a murder case late in the week, on a weekend or a Monday morning," Kirkland explained. "Judges are most diligent on Tuesdays, in my opinion. Say what you will, I tend to time the worst crimes for a Tuesday."

"As long as I get to speak with him, aru," Yao said.

"Naturally," Kirkland shrugged. "We've had him prepared in a questioning room. Honestly, ask him straight out whatever you want to know, and he'll pretty much tell you. I think he's given up; he knows he's done for."

"Right, aru," Yao frowned as he neared a room.

Kirkland shuffled his keys around, then turned the lock and opened the door. It was a small room, but its lack of furniture made it appear moderately larger than it actually was. The faint smell of coffee lingered in the air. A single table was placed in the middle of the room, and two chairs facing one another were placed either side. In one chair sat Basch Zwingli, staring defiantly into space, his hands cuffed together. There wasn't a single piece of recording equipment left on the table.

"I'll leave you to it, Detective Aru," Officer Arsehole closed the door, leaving Yao and Basch in private.

Yao gestured around the room and dropped down into the seat opposite Basch. "Nice place. Was it really worth it, aru?"

"Are you here to mock me, or find out the conclusion of Edelstein's case?" Basch leant back in his chair. There was no fear in his eyes, but instead undisguised superiority.

"No point withholding information from _me_ , Basch," Yao rolled his shoulders back. "You've already told the police. I can get the information from them."

That wasn't necessarily true. Only members of staff could access private police folders, and permission to have the recordings was extremely rare. However, the public didn't know that, and Yao intended to keep it that way. What people didn't know couldn't hurt them.

"Who said I wasn't going to say anything?" Basch chuckled. "What do you want to know, Detective?"

"First of all, you really did kill Niklas, didn't you?" Yao leant back in his chair.

"Absolutely," Basch didn't even hesitate.

Yao raised his eyebrows, purely because Kirkland had been right about his brazen nature. He had never met a criminal so open about their actions before. He had never really met a criminal before…

"Why?" he asked. "Why risk all that lovely life with your father and sister for _this_? Was it really worth it?"

"Worth it?" Basch smirked. "Of course it was worth it, Detective Wang. Roderich falls into a state of disarray, their marriage is postponed, and I suspect its even ruined now."

"That petty?" Yao blinked. "Wow, aru."

"That bitch dropped me like a stone," he suddenly scowled, the indolent expression leaving his face. "She made it feel like she was in love with me, but it was all some front whilst her marriage was down in the dumps. She used me to pick herself up and now look at me; desperate for revenge and glad I got it."

"And you're convinced it was worth the Zwingli inheritance?" Yao asked nonchalantly.

"You think my father's going to leave me out of the will?" Basch snorted. "Think again. I killed his long term enemy and-"

"Shamed his family name in the process," Yao interrupted, and watched the young man's green eyes darken. "How old are you, Basch?"

"Twenty-three," he replied.

"That's younger than me," Yao mused. "Do you know how long you'll be in prison for?"

Basch shook his head.

"You'll probably get, like, twenty-five years in the least," Yao shrugged. "You'll be forty-eight by the time you leave prison. Was it _really_ worth it?"

Basch remained silent. Yao had a feeling, when placed in perspective, the consequences of his actions weighed more than he could ever have imagined.

"If you don't regret it now, you definitely will later, aru," Yao warned. "But, for now, tell me what happened."

"Well, I'm sure Eliza's told you a lot already," he said.

"Tell me from your perspective, aru," Yao prompted.

"Right, well, we dated for about six months, where she suddenly ended it due to Edelstein proposing, at last," he glanced away.

"Did you know she was engaged?" Yao asked.

"Of course," Basch shrugged. "Didn't matter to me. It wasn't _me_ who had anything to lose from our relationship. Eliza made it seem like she could carry the affair through, but she flagged and dropped out."

"So why kill her father in law?" Yao asked incredulously. "Or target her fiancé?"

"I wanted to hurt her by getting those she loved," he shrugged. "And what would be better than disposing of the man she chose over me? I was a desperate man, Detective Wang, possessed with the glorified image that, without Roderich, Eliza would come running back to me. That hasn't happened, but at least she's not with him anymore."

"How can you know that?" Yao said. "I haven't heard anything about them splitting up?"

"What kind of an idiot would stay with a woman who cheated on him?" he snickered. "That would be too idyllic."

"Why Niklas, then, aru?" he asked.

"I thought it was Roderich," Basch admitted. "I honestly believed I was following the right Edelstein. I didn't expect his dad to leave his own party, and they look so similar in the dark that, by the time I hit him across the head, it was too late."

"You hit him in the head and _then_ realised it was Niklas?" Yao frowned. "And you didn't stop there?"

"He would've sued had I left him alive," Basch shrugged. "After that, it wasn't just about Eliza and my pride; it was about my family. The _entire_ Zwingli reputation would be ruined had Edelstein suddenly come around raining down murder accusations and suing billions. Better I go to prison than my dad go broke. Money is competitive work."

"How did you know where to find Niklas?" Yao asked.

"Assumption," Basch replied. "I had heard there was a concert and a sixtieth, but I had no idea about times. I came late from the concert and early for the party. I waited outside the music theatre, hoping Roderich might have been clearing up the concert remains so his father wouldn't have to. I couldn't believe my luck when who I thought was Roderich arrived at the music theatre. I followed him in and offed him there and then."

"I suppose you didn't know about poor James on night shift, aru?" Yao frowned.

"I may have used my father's keys to gain significant access, but I had no idea about employee timetables," he laughed drily. "I assumed no one would be there, what with there being a party and everything. I thought I was alone with just Roderich, but I was so wrong."

"Where's the sheet music and pen?" Yao asked. "You must've taken those from him."

"Those?" Basch's eyes clouded over for a second. "Yeah, I remember those…"

"Where are they, aru?"

"I took them to my room in a hotel I'm staying at further north," Basch said. "I saw the pen and the music there and thought I could compete against Roderich using his father's great work. If I couldn't kill the man, at least I could outdo him."

"You say that now, yet you were caught in the act of attempted murder just three days ago?" Yao stated.

"True, but that's when I realised I made a crap musician," Basch replied. "I couldn't compete with Edelstein or win Eliza's heart back with music. It was in the north that I was able to quietly dispose of the rifle and old clothes without anyone knowing about it. It's quiet up there; there's less people to hide things from."

"And then you learnt Roderich would be alone on Sunday night, aru?"

"We're from the elite classes, Detective Wang," Basch explained. "Amongst us super rich, there will always be gossip. We have nothing better to do but wile the hours away talking about one another. I heard Roderich would be preparing the theatre for a set of Christmas concerts he had planned. It was the perfect opportunity, but it seems you figured out relatively quickly about my plans… How did you know I was involved, Detective? If Eliza couldn't make the connection, how did you?"

"Because I had someone watching you and Elizabeta that night when the pair of you met up, aru," Yao lied – Mei had gone through her own intuition, but he wanted to look cool and take the credit. "They recalled your argument and the affair was brought up. Elizabeta didn't tell us about your relationship out of her own will, aru."

"Because she was ashamed of it," he laughed bitterly. "She calls me a mistake, but she loved it really."

"That's not really any of my business, aru," Yao admitted.

"She accused me of murder back then," Basch rubbed his jaw. "I should've killed her there and then, really. Once you've murdered two people, a third doesn't seem that much of a deal. She also wouldn't have been able to tell you about our affair. The case would've gone cold, am I right, Detective?"

"Assuming Elizabeta kept your meeting secret, then-"

"Of course she kept it secret," he gave him a pointed stare. "Eliza wouldn't have told anyone about what was going on in her life if it concerned me. She detached herself entirely from me once she broke up with me. Sucks really. Nearly thirty years, eh?"

Was that remorse in the killer's green eyes? Yao couldn't tell, because he wore such a confident expression that subtle emotions such as regret were concealed. It was terrifying to listen to how convinced he was to see Roderich die. It only made sense, listening to him, why he decided to go for it and attack the man he despised before four other people.

"I think the only thing I'll really hate is what my sister will think of me," Basch admitted at last. "I got on very well with her."

"What you did was wrong, Basch," Yao explained. "If you're sister doesn't forgive you, don't be surprised, aru."

"Detective, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't _visit_ me in the next thirty years," he leant forward a little. "I just want to hear that Eliza and Roderich call off their engagement, and that their future together is ruined; _that's all I want_."

"You asked for too much, Zwingli," Yao sighed. "Learn to let the girl go, aru."

"Eliza could've done whatever she liked once she was secure with me," Basch said. "I liked her, sure, but when I first started dating her, it was really for the money. The Zwingli family was already financially set for generations, but the Hédeváry fortune isn't something to yawn at. Maybe Roderich will stay with her, but for the money."

It was then that Yao realised that Basch Zwingli was completely, and entirely, sane. His relaxed nature couldn't possibly have been that of a madman, and his sentences were more coherent than others. There was, however, _something_ about him. Psychopathy, perhaps, because Yao detected practically no remorse from him for having killed a man. His only regret was having been caught, and his actions had been fuelled by a greedy desire. Yao couldn't help but feel mildly disgusted just looking at him.

"Money and a girl," Yao mused. "I suppose that added to the appeal, aru?"

"I have a temperamental nature, Detective," Basch smiled thinly. "I was sure I was in for the winning here. If Roderich left Eliza, I was still going to be there for her. She could've turned to me and things would've been so simple. I hadn't spoken to her in some months; she would never have made the assumption that I was the murderer."

"And yet she arranged a meeting with you?" Yao asked.

"Just for clarification," he shrugged. "But she really pushed me for answers, right, Detective?"

"I guess, aru…"

"I think it was an excuse to speak with me after so many years," he smirked. "Her marriage was probably in decline after Niklas' death."

"I think it would be wiser to say the bond between Roderich and Elizabeta _strengthened_ after Niklas' death."

"I was tempted to blame my father for the murders," Basch avoided the subject. "If he was locked away, the Zwingli fortune was certainly mine, and he would probably die in prison."

Yao shot him an alarmed stare, which received the response of barked laughter.

"You honestly think I _like_ my father?" he asked.

"You were with him that day I came round…" Yao mumbled.

"For the sake of seeing my sister," Basch replied. "My father could go to Hell for all I care. In case you hadn't noticed, we're like oil and water."

"You're very different," Yao commented.

"That's another way of saying he's personable and I'm a bastard," Zwingli sighed. "I get that a lot."

"You've murdered a man, Zwingli," Yao repeated. "You probably won't see your sister for a very long time, aru."

"That's the one regret I'll have," he said, and even then his words seemed empty as he spoke them.

"You officially murdered Niklas Edelstein and William James?" Yao asked.

"That was me," Basch's eyes were dark.

"Then my work here is done," Yao stood. "Goodbye, Basch."

The offender made no response, and Yao pushed open the door to find Officer Kirkland waiting outside. The Chief Policemen yawned, a cup of tea in his hands and locked the door behind Yao.

"See what I mean?" he asked.

"I do," Yao replied.

"Thanks for your work, I guess," Arthur said. "You actually semi-solved a case that didn't involve finding missing cats."

It seemed Officer Kirkland wasn't about to let go that Yao had only discovered Basch was guilty through personal experience.

"And I intend to solve many more," Yao smiled, ignoring the officer's words. "I'm done with him."

"Won't need to see him again?" Arthur offered.

"Not at all," Yao shook his head. "Until next time, Officer Kirkland."

"If there is a next time," Kirkland muttered.

Yao strode down the corridor and back into the entrance room. He noted the coffee machine was no longer attended, but resisted the urge to get himself a hot beverage. He would be back at the Ramen Bar in just under half an hour. He could easily get a drink at home, and he would save money doing it.

Yao smiled to himself as he left the police station, out in the blizzard. It felt good to finally have solved the case of Niklas Edelstein, the musical prodigy.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you for your patience with this Fic, and until next time! This isn't quite the finish, but next chapter is definitely the end of the Musical Massacre. Thank you!_


	29. Epilogue

**A/N:** _Well, it's here guys: the final chapter of **The Musical Massacre**. I want to say a huge thanks to all of you for being so patient, and for also interacting in the reviews section. It's been absolutely fantastic, and it's always nice to finish another year successfully! Goodbye 2016- hello 2017 at last. It's been an adventure with Yao and his crew, and I've had a blast with the plot. I love writing mystery, and it was so fun to see what everyone was trying to guess! Also, Investigasians has reached 3,000 views! Thank you all so much!_

 _For all of those who have read my other Fic, **Gakutalia: The First Term** , then I have a little bit of news in regards to that. First of all, I've been speaking to my sister, who recently got a new drawing pad for digital art, and we've made plans for cover art for Gakutalia. It's currently in the very early stages, but I'll definitely notify you all when it's been released, and you can check that out. The next piece of news for the Gakutalia fans is probably what you've been wanting to hear for some time: I've been plotting out the second installment for that series, and my next Fic will indeed be **Gakutalia: Love Is In The Air**_. _I'm very excited to be getting back to the boys at World Academy, and hope to see another term for them go by successfully! I want to thank everyone for your patience: it's hard to wait to find out what happens next!_

 _As for **Investigasians** , you may have worked out that I do intend to make this a series, too. I do love sequels, and that's exactly where I hope to take Yao and his gang! In a similar way to the second Gakutalia installment, I'll need to take my time planning out what I want to happen in this next case, but I really look forward to it. Moreover, there's unanswered questions, such as "the Target", and I can't keep you guys in suspense forever! _

_I'm excited about where 2017 will take me, as Gakutalia and Investigasians won't be the only Fics I'll be planning out. I've currently been working on something 'Fairytale Themed', but that's for another time- guaranteed!_

 _I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year! We had a fire pit outside and fireworks at home! Happy New Year everyone, and without further ado: the final chapter!_

 _~XOs xx_

* * *

 **Epilogue**

* * *

By the time Saturday arrived, the snow had cleared considerably. The bad weather of last week was a distant memory of the past, and the winter sun even poked its face beyond the clouds for a brief moment, before being submerged once again. Yao was relieved to find the case was finally over. The rest of the week had been relatively quiet, with him not needing to work on the case, and no others coming in. It was nearing Christmas, so most people were more focused on preparations rather than their cats. Instead, he had contented himself to working at the ramen bar with Kiku and Mr Honda, and the usual flow of customers had swept in once the snow had cleared some more. It had been a busy few days for Yao, but strangely more relaxing compared to beforehand.

However, today things were a little out of schedule once more. Roderich had located Basch's apartment and had gone to investigate the findings there after the police had checked the vicinity for any possible dangers. Naturally, Yao had been invited along and had elected for Yong to assist him as expected. Mei was still working for the next half hour, but said she would join them at the location once she was finished. Yao had been fine with that. They would probably be driving to Basch's room within half of that time. This was probably the last time Yao would have an excuse to speak with Roderich face to face. His inclusion with the elite community was blissful, and whilst he hoped it would be longer, he doubted crimes occurred amongst them so frequently he would be earning hundreds each time.

Yong Soo seemed strangely excited, fidgeting in his chair with a faint smile on his face.

"You OK, aru?" Yao glanced at him. "You seem like you've had too much caffeine."

"This is it, though, right, Aniki?" Yong glanced at him.

"What?" he squinted to express disdain.

"This is where we get paid for our efforts," Yong exclaimed.

"It's not just about the money, aru," Yao scolded.

"Sorry, Aniki," Yong seemed downcast.

"But money has a big part, yes," he shrugged as he drove into the parking lot.

The hotel Basch had temporarily stayed in was fancy and expensive, which only made sense, considering he was of the elite Zwingli family. Yao couldn't envision Basch settling for something such as the Honda Ramen Bar. The pair of them approached, the Old Civic abandoned in the parking lot. Police cars were stationed, but it seemed Officer Arsehole was not present. Yao could only assume the more northern police sector were focused on this part of the city. Roderich was standing not far off, a briefcase in his hands, wearing a dark coat. Yao's heart leapt in his chest, instantly being reminded of the beautiful money that was likely encased within the hard shell. He tried not to look too eager as he approached.

"Detective Wang," Roderich nodded towards him, and held out a gloved hand.

Surprised, Yao took it and shook it. This was the friendliest he had ever seen Roderich. Considering after what had happened, he was surprised his client was in the mood for talking to anyone at all.

"And Yong Soo," their client preceded to shake his assistant's hand.

"It's good to see you again, Mr Edelstein," Yong latched onto the opportunity to network, or suck up. "How are you?"

"Much better, actually," there was relief in Roderich's purple eyes. "Just knowing the truth about my father really helps. I feel like justice has happened and I can finally rest easy knowing that."

"That's good to hear, aru," Yao said. "What about the pen and sheet music? Have those been found, aru?"

"Yes," Roderich opened the briefcase and revealed the sheets of music delicately tucked inside, much to Yao's disappointment. "I read through it. My father truly was a remarkable musician."

"You'll follow in his footsteps," Yao assured him.

"Where's Elizabeta?" Yong Soo blatantly asked.

"Yong," Yao hissed, glowering at him.

Roderich smiled wryly. "No, it's quite alright. It's only natural he should ask, and it'll only be too obvious before everyone else has heard, too. Elizabeta has returned to Hungary, where her parents live. We figured it was for the best."

There was a short silence whilst both Yao and Yong Soo processed this information.

"She told me about her affair with Basch," his gaze became briefly distant, before he returned his eyes to the music in the briefcase. "I'll admit, I didn't see it coming. I had always had it in my mind that we'd been consistently happy together. She suggested we take time apart, and I agreed."

"Time apart?" Yao frowned.

"To think things through," Roderich replied. "I don't know what awaits the end of the line, but I suppose we'll just have to find out."

"So, the engagement is no more…?" Yong Soo sounded disappointed.

"I'm afraid not," Roderich shook his head.

"What about the pen?" Yao hastily changed the subject, before things became too uncomfortable – his payment was still on the line.

"Ah, it's just…" Roderich fished through his coat pocket and took it out. "Here."

He showed Yao the expensive ink pen, with the name 'Edelstein' engraved into the side. It was a deep plum purple in colour, with a slight gold lining along the lid. The writing was also in gold. It was long, thin and looked delicate. Yao could understand why Roderich had been so concerned about its disappearance; it was a beautiful piece of stationary.

"My father never finished the piece," Roderich commented, flicking three pages through and showing the lack of a double bar three quarters through the piece.

"That's not the end," Yao gestured to the continued bars that followed it.

"That's not my father's handwriting," Roderich explained. "Basch seemed to believe he could match my father's quality in music, but he can't… I can tell because of the decline of music."

"What are you going to do with it, aru?" Yao asked.

"Keep it," Roderich closed the briefcase. "I'm having a concert in his honour on the last day of the year, as his funeral has been booked for the thirtieth. I'll play it then."

"Unfinished?" Yong Soo seemed amazed.

Roderich sent him a small smile – his entire countenance lit up when he smiled. Yao believed it did him favours, as it took the harsh expression from his eyes and made him look his age.

"Part of the beauty of this piece is that it was left unfinished," he explained. "I feel it's one last gift my father has left me."

"That's a nice way of looking at it," Yong Soo added. "What are you going to call it?"

"I feel as if it's not within my right to name his work," Roderich admitted. "I can't say anything's coming to me at this moment, but I may consider it…"

Yao nodded, still thinking about his money.

"Speaking of unfinished business," Roderich's eyes widened, and he dropped his pen in his pocket. "I wanted to thank you. For you work."

"Oh?" Yao blinked as Roderich handed him, in paper cash, the glorious payment. "Thanks, aru."

"It's only natural," Roderich shrugged, an edge to his words. "You did a good job and saw the case to the end. You also revealed to me that my fiancée was cheating on me, whence the bonus."

" _Bonus_ , aru?" Yao tried not to sound too excited.

"Ja," Roderich shifted from foot to foot. "It only makes sense. I may not have shown my gratitude for the entire time of the case, but your resilience and dedication to the case was quite something, Detective Wang. There's a way of telling when someone's actually committed the case, and then there are others who do it for the sake of doing it."

Yao nodded as he stuffed the cash in his pocket. "Thank you."

"Hmm, that's not all," Roderich held up a hand, and Yao's heart fluttered. "These."

He took a small envelope from his pocket and offered it to Yao. Hesitantly, he took it from his client's hand and glanced towards it. A Christmas present?

"Open it?" Roderich said, aloof and expectant at the same time somehow.

Yao tore open the thin paper and took out what looked like six tickets. "Aru?"

"Three of them are tickets to the end of year concert," Roderich explained. "For you and your team. The other three are invitations to the New Year's party otherwise. Dress code is black tie."

Yao's heart fluttered at the opportunity to network more than he'd ever been able to before.

"Roderich, I…" he blinked.

"Thank you so much," Yong Soo beamed. "We'd be more than happy to come."

"Good," their client smiled, seemingly relieved. "Just show your tickets to those at the door and you should be given straight access."

"We will," Yao nodded, hiding the tickets away once more and returning the tickets to his pocket.

"Thank you, Mr Wang," Roderich nodded towards him. "Excuse me, but I must speak with the officers now just to make sure that's the last of everything here."

"Of course," Yao nodded. "Goodbye, aru."

Roderich lifted a hand before shifting away through the snow towards the police squad crowed by the hotel's entrance. Yao and Yong returned to the Old Civic.

"Call Mei, would you?" Yao asked. "She needs to know we've already finished."

* * *

"I can't believe you didn't try to convince him to consider her," Mei gawked as they wandered into the Honda Ramen Bar. "It was evident she was still in love with him just based on her actions on Sunday."

"She cheated on him, aru," Yao rolled his eyes. "Besides, their relationship isn't any of our business. I'm not allowed to intervene with a client's personal life, aru. It's their decision, and they made it together."

"I guess so," they sat at the bar.

"Can I get you something?" Kiku offered, with a pleasant smile.

"The usual please," Yong Soo beamed.

Yao opened his mouth to protest, but then realised he himself was surprisingly hungry. "Same here."

The pair of them glanced at Mei.

"I snacked at the café," she admitted sheepishly.

"Green tea on the house for each of you," Kiku said quietly, eyes on Mei.

Yao watched a small smile reach her lips as Kiku turned away to start preparing their orders.

"That reminds me," Yao selected the five per cent of Yong and Mei's payment, and handed them each their money.

"Oh, thanks, Aniki," Yong didn't bat an eyelid as he took it.

"You were serious about the five per cent thing?" Mei blinked, tentatively reaching out, as if he would snatch it back as a joke.

"Of course," Yao insisted. "You worked on the case with me, right, aru? You deserve some of the earnings…"

Mei held her small percentage of the payment. He couldn't understand why something so minimal would mean so much to her. However, she smiled, warmed up, and instantly dropped the Elizabeta subject. Kiku served them each their green teas.

"Roderich invited us to this, by the way," Yao handed her the tickets. "It has a fancy dress code."

"Of course it does," she rolled her eyes, but her eyes were strangely thankful as she received the tickets from his hands. "It's an orchestral performance… followed by a party of the elites? You've outdone yourself, Mr Wang."

"That I have," he said proudly.

Kiku served up the ramen. "You'll have a good time."

"I'll give everyone else's payments to them in due time," Yao said. "Let them know the case is finished."

"Keeping with the bright note, what's everyone doing for Christmas?" Kiku asked, leaning against the bar and openly joining their conversation; he seemed a little less busy today.

"Aniki can spend it with _my_ family," Yong Soo offered.

"That's very kind of you, aru, but I'll probably stay here, with Kiku and _his_ family," Yao smiled politely but pointedly; he couldn't imagine anything worse than spending Christmas with Mrs Im.

"Not your family?" Mei asked.

"I haven't spoken to my parents in ages," he admitted awkwardly. "I don't think they'd appreciate me suddenly turning up and expecting normal Christmas celebrations with them. Nah; it's safer to just stay with Kiku, aru."

"It's what we normally do," Kiku shrugged.

"What are you doing, Mei?" Yong asked.

"Gilbert was funny," she chuckled. "He's moved in with his brother now, and he offered me to spend Christmas with them. He must think I'm completely alone. I'm visiting my parents and spending the next few days with them. It'll be nice. I haven't had a proper chance to see them, and it'll be nice to tell them everything that's happened."

Kasam suddenly bustled into the room from upstairs. "Yao? I thought I heard your voice."

"You need me?" he saw the startled expression on the young man's face.

" _Mayor Jones_ needs you," Kasam explained. "He called and wanted to see you as soon as."

"Should probably get going," he slurped up the last of his ramen. "Oh, but, Kasam? When did he call?"

"Not long ago," Kasam admitted.

"Hmm, I should be fine, then," Yao finished the ramen. "Payment, Kasam. I saw Roderich today."

"Oh, Merry Christmas to you, as well," Kasam smiled as he received the money. "Now, go see Mayor Jones, before he forgets what he wanted to tell you."

"The pair of you should come," Yao stood. "This could be about the case."

"Naturally," Mei finished the last of her green tea.

The pair of them waited impatiently as Yong Soo wolfed down the remains of his ramen. Then, as their common trio, the three of them hurried from the Honda Ramen Bar. Mei claimed her seat in the front of the Old Civic, much to the disappointment of Yong, but there was no bickering today. Everyone was too focused on what Mayor Jones wanted.

His office building was central in the city, so not too far from the humble ramen bar. Yao parked the car relatively close to the door, and the three of them got out.

"Do I look OK?" Mei asked.

"Why does that matter?" Yao asked with a frown as they neared the door.

"I've heard the mayor is young, handsome and single," Mei said. "Why _wouldn't_ it matter?"

"Harlot Mei strikes again," Yong Soo snickered.

"If it helps, you look just like your personality," Yao sighed, pushing open the door and mumbling: "Bitterly cold."

"What was that?" she asked, a little on the savage side. It would seem she anticipated him to say snarky things about her.

"A little windswept, but aren't we all, aru?" he called over his shoulder and approached the desk.

"Mr Wang, the Mayor has been expecting you," the secretary smiled. "I'll just call Mr Braginsky to bring you up."

"Right, aru," he motioned for the other two to sit down and joined them.

"I've never been here before," Mei said anxiously.

"It's fine," Yong Soo said, suddenly an expert despite only having been there once himself. "Mr Braginsky will just bring us to a room where they check for any weapons, and then we're allowed to see the Mayor."

"Who is Mr Braginsky?" she asked.

" _That's_ Mr Braginsky," Yao interrupted quietly, before Yong Soo went on a tirade against the poor man. "He's Mayor Jones' PA."

Yao stood just as the harassed looking young man finally reached the desk. He was wearing his scarf, the one piece of clothing that never left him no matter what weather it was. Yao could only assume it was because the intense air conditioning of his office kept him relatively chilled, even on the hottest summer days. He was perfectly nice, and Mayor Jones' somewhat childish behaviour was constantly on check by this man alone. It was probably down to Ivan Braginsky that Mayor Jones kept his job…

He shook Yao's hand briefly. "Mayor Jones is waiting for you."

"Yes, aru," he always found him amusingly blunt.

"You haven't brought your gun with you this time, da?" Ivan asked as he approached the side room, where people were searched. "That was rather awkward to explain last time."

"Oh, right, sorry, aru," he pulled the firearm from his pocket and watched, out of the corner of his eye, the secretary pale.

Braginsky sighed, and gently took it. "I should permanently confiscate this the next time you do this."

Yao, once his gun was no longer in hand, wandered through the machine, followed by Yong Soo, and then Mei. Braginsky cast her a strange glance before hurrying them to the elevator. That was one thing about him that Yao would always find funny; he was eternally rushing around. They were packed into a spacious lift, and then freed at the top floor, where Mayor Jones resided.

The layout was as follows: a small corridor led to a small waiting room. Two offices were attached to the said waiting room, one being Mr Braginsky's where it was likely that he did all the unimportant paperwork on behalf of Mayor Jones, as well as sorting out meetings for the main man and dates and times. The other office belonged to Mayor Jones.

They reached the small waiting room. Mr Braginsky swiftly lifted some mail left before his door, glanced at it, then approached the door and knocked quietly on its surface.

"Come in," the Mayor called from inside.

Upon Braginsky's gesture, Yao pushed open the door and wandered inside, with Mei and Yong seconds behind him. Mayor Jones whirled around on his chair, a wide smile on his face. There was no surprise in his expression as he registered Mei, but he stood up, straightened his tie, and held a hand out towards her.

"New face," he commented. "Welcome to the Investigasians, it seems."

"Investigasians?" she cast a glance at Yao.

He shrugged, not wanting this conversation before the Mayor, and for once she released him of the discomfort, by shaking Jones' hand.

"Good to see you again, Yao – Yong," he nodded to each of them in turn. "Congratulations on Edelstein's case. That worked out well."

"Thanks, aru," Yao nodded, readying himself to leave.

"I, um… that's not really why I called you here," Jones' eyes held some kind of meaning.

 _The Target_ … Yao realised.

"Give us a moment, Mei?" he glanced at her.

"Huh?" she seemed momentarily confused.

"A _moment_ , _aru,_ " he repeated firmly.

Her eyes darkened and she left the room with the faint dents of a scowl appearing on her face.

* * *

Mei wandered back into the waiting room. It was empty. She breathed out a sigh. There was nothing to do. She felt a little betrayed that Yao had suddenly abandoned her. She also felt a little hurt that there was something she couldn't listen in on. What could Mayor Jones possibly want to tell Yao that _Yong_ could hear, but _she_ couldn't?

"Hello?"

She turned and saw the young man from earlier wandering out of his room wearing a frown. A folder stuffed with crinkled papers was tucked under arm, and he also balanced a mug of tea in his hands as he fiddled with the door handle.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, gently closing his office door behind him.

"Oh, no – everything's fine," she assured him. "Happy Birthday, by the way."

"Huh?" he blinked.

"I saw the card earlier," she shrugged. "Sorry – I can be a bit nosy!"

A small smile reached his mouth. "Ah, no, it's fine…"

They stood in silence for a moment. It was a little uncomfortable.

"So, you're new with Yao, da?" he finally asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "Sort of. I help when I can. As much as I can."

"OK," he glanced out the window. "I'm sure they won't be long."

"I hope not," she said, wondering if she sounded rude.

"Hey, do you-" he began, but was brutally interrupted by Yao opening the door.

"We're done," he announced, then glanced between them.

"I'll show you out," Braginsky offered.

"No need," Yao waved a dismissive hand. "My gun, though?"

"Ah, yes," Braginsky pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over. "Goodbye, Mr Wang. Until next time. And have a good Christmas, da?"

That seemed directed to her. "Will do," she smiled as they left.

"Yes, indeed," Yao nodded, then steered both Mei and Yong from the waiting room.

Once they had walked a safe distance, he scrutinised Mei carefully. "Did we interrupt something?"

"No?"

"OK, then, aru."

* * *

On the drive back, and with Mei gone, Yao had plenty of time to contemplate what Mayor Jones had asked. Bring the Target in alive? He wasn't sure what that meant, but perhaps, at one point, the Mayor had expected to see the life of his adversary extinguished.

"Is everything OK, Aniki?" Yong Soo asked.

"Yeah, it's fine, Yong," he said. "Why?"

"Is it what Mayor Jones said?" he asked nervously.

"We can do it by the end of next year," Yao assured him. "I'm confident in that."

* * *

"I swear there's still a mark on my face."

Yao inspected her cheek carefully. After the blow of the rifle, there had been a malicious bruise that had appeared on the side of Mei's face. However, with enough foundation and time for the blemish to vanish, he couldn't see anything.

"There's nothing there," he insisted, Yong hanging awkwardly by his side. "No one will be looking at you anyway, aru."

"It's the _after_ party I'm worried about," she pouted.

"Then believe me when I say there's nothing left," Yao checked his watch. "Come on, now, aru, otherwise we'll walk in late. We're at the front, so that would just be embarrassing, aru."

The three of them joined the milling streams of people and entered the musical theatre, which had been decorated in mellow whites and blues, pale wintery colours for the New Year. They seated themselves at the front once they had reached the doors, receiving glances from people who hadn't had the pleasure of meeting them yet. Yao wore his finest and only suit, and had styled his hair into a neat ponytail, opposed to the scruffy do he preferred. Mei had opted for a bold red dress, a brilliant set of red flowers adorning her hair. Even Yong had smoothed his hair and wore a suit, although his gangly, insect-like legs made him appear awkward.

Yao watched as Roderich appeared on stage. Silently, he bowed, then set the orchestra into motion. They sat through a perfectly wondrous performance. Yao felt the low notes of the brass instruments thrumming through his veins. It was a medley of music, all directed and probably written by Roderich. All very impressive. To finish, though, Roderich turned to the crowd.

"A last note from my father," he announced, seating himself at the piano, and playing out a melody that sang to Yao's ears.

It was truly beautiful and then- it just ended. You could tell, just from the abrupt finish, that that was not the end of the song, and yet the melancholy feeling of memory reached out to every individual seated in the musical theatre. Faces were awed as they stared upon Roderich, who took his finishing bow. Applause tumbled through the theatre, echoing around Yao's ears and filling the entire room with praise for the man who had lost his father around a month ago. There was a smile on his face, head upturned towards the lights that descended upon him, receiving the standing ovation his deserved. Yao got to his feet, still clapping, and other joined him.

Roderich Edelstein's eyes promised hope for the next year.

"I've never heard something so wonderful," Mei said later at the after party, a glass of champagne in hand. "He really played that last piece beautifully."

"It was written by Niklas," Yao explained.

"I thought that was what he meant by his father's 'last note'," she mused. "Beautiful, nevertheless. He played it to perfection."

"Cheers to Roderich Edelstein," Yong announced, raising his glass.

"Cheers," Yao and Mei followed him, and the three of them took a sip.

"It'll be starting soon," Francis and Germaine were passing by. "You can't miss them."

"Miss what, aru?" Yao frowned.

"The fireworks, of course," Francis chuckled. "Come on; you must see them; the New Year starts in about ten minutes."

Yao glanced at the other two, then followed Francis outside. It was still cold, and the wind was still strong, but the night sky was clear above their heads. Yong stood on one side of him, and Mei found his other side. Francis and Germaine were lost to the crowd, but Yao quite liked their vantage point, where the entire sky was set before them and not a single tree blotted the view.

"You did well, Detective," he glanced to his side and met Mei's gaze.

She raised the glass an inch, and they tapped the fine flutes to one another, before taking another sip – to his career, perhaps? Their reunion? The new year? It could've meant anything. As soon as their glasses touched, though, the first firework shot off into the sky, much to the crowd's delight, and exploded in a plethora of colours. The crowd gushed at the very sight of it, and then an abundance of bright gunpowder shot after the first.

Yao shared another glance with Mei, before Yong Soo shook his shoulder, pointing to individual fireworks. It was a great way to spend the New Year; amongst two of his closest friends.

He was also considerably richer than last year.

 _Until next time_ , Yao thought with a smile, eyes scanning the excessively rich, and wondering who would be his next client...


End file.
